Troy Leo

Or maybe it was the commentators’ favourite, the “rugby league gods” who brought the Burleigh Bears winger back to the field in 2024, three years after he made the decision to hang up the boots off the back of two major injuries.

Or maybe there were no fate or gods – maybe it was just the determination and resilience of Leo himself that sees him playing his first ever Hostplus Cup grand final this Saturday, six years after he missed the 2019 decider, two years after the Bears’ last appearance in the big dance.

It has been a long road to this point for the 30-year-old. There have been highs and lows, heartbreak and happiness, acceptance of the cards that were dealt and the thrill of a comeback.

And this weekend, there is hope it will finish with some redemption.

“In 2019 I had my first ACL injury right before we started playing finals footy,” he said.

“We ended up winning it that year. As much as I enjoyed that season, I wasn’t able to get the joys of playing in a grand final, which is what you work so hard for from the previous November all the way through to October.

“It was really unlucky and it’s a bittersweet feeling and hard to put into words. It’s completely different not being out on the field and not playing the 80 minutes.

“It’s a redemption arc for me. Getting to this grand final, I see it as making up for something I was there for but I didn’t feel like I was part of, not being out on the field.”

That ACL injury in 2019, followed by the COVID-hit season of 2020, was Leo’s first lengthy stint on the sideline.

Then, in 2021, he made his long-awaited comeback in Round 1, ready to put the past two years behind him.

But sadly, Leo did his ACL again only 10 minutes into the clash with Souths Logan and for him, that moment wasn’t just the end of his season, but seemingly the end of his career.

“It was such an abrupt injury,” he said.

“It made me feel like the weight of those injuries had not allowed my body to be able to play footy anymore. That was the deciding factor.”

Mentally, Leo said he handled these injuries and the decision to step away from his beloved Bears well.

He had a strong support network in his wife and three children and he didn’t allow himself time to dwell.

He stayed around the club in some capacity, particularly to use the gym, and this is where now-Burleigh captain Sam Coster planted some ideas in Leo’s head.

“I was in and around the gym and what ultimately brought me back was I would talk to Sam Coster whenever we ran into each other and he asked me if I’d thought I’d come back to footy,” Leo said.

“He relayed my thoughts to (coach) Luke Burt and that was enough for Burty to run with. He gave me a call and said, ‘if you’re half on the fence, why don’t you come down and have a run and see how you feel?’

“I felt like I had unfinished business but I was okay with where I was at, with finishing my footy journey.

“But fate had me come back and thankfully I’m here because I get to play in a grand final.”

Over the past six years, Leo has found support in many ways.

But the main two would be his family and Burleigh’s operations manager, Jodie Berkers.

This weekend, Leo will be playing for his wife, Astrid, and their three children, Della, Rayne and Navi.

“One of my big things I wanted in playing footy is to showcase to my kids what a somewhat professional lifestyle is and dedication to a craft,” he said.

“If you put your heart and mind towards something, it can bear fruits and you can reap the benefits.

“Being able to take my kids to training, watching the games, it’s a really good environment for my kids to be around.

“With my kids not really knowing (what he went through), they’re the driving factor for everything I do in my life.

“My wife is easily the biggest supporting factor in everything I do. From making my meals and making sure I’m taking my supplements, she’s more on top of the whole professional situation than I am.

“I wouldn’t be able to put on the games I do without her properly prepping me. She does so much in the background. She does so much for me and our kids as well.

“She’s a home school mum and does all the extra curriculars and gets them to training and skate parks while I’m off doing my thing.

“We’re best mates and I definitely, definitely could not do it without her.”

Then there was the support of the club, in particular Berkers.

“Jodie Berkers is the unsung hero for every footy player that goes through this club,” Leo said.

“She has something to do with every person that comes in and out of this club. Throughout my injuries, she’s so helpful.

“When it came to the process of being off work and managing doctor’s appointments, if I had any question regarding anything, Jodie had the answer.

“She’s helped numerous players. She’s always been the one everyone goes to and she’s never let anyone down. She’s so respectful and I know she’s there, I know (CEO Damian Driscoll) Drisco’s there and they’re the right people at the club.

“I know the support is there and I won’t get left behind. They’ll be looking out for me. I’ve felt that throughout my whole time.”

Leo, who made his Cup debut with the Bears in 2017, said that support from the club is what makes them so special.

He has friends he never expected he would have from his years at Burleigh and the culture has never once shifted over the past decade.

To win a grand final would be special. But to win it with Burleigh would be indescribable.

“I joined close to nine years ago and it’s been a really tight-knit group and a supportive group,” he said.

“We’re one group. We always do what we can to support each other’s goals and visions.

“Everyone is always on the same page and there’s no disrespect and arrogance amongst the group. If you had any of that, you wouldn’t last long in the club.

“It’s a bit of a brotherhood and you make friends for life when you join this club.

“I think (winning on Saturday) would be the pinnacle of my career. There’s so many guys in this club and team at the moment who have found themselves working towards a championship in Cup and that’s the position I find myself in.

“We have a really special playing group. Playing for each other and winning something like that together would be the highlight, if not the pinnacle, of all our careers.

“To look back on that when you’re older, it’s one of the greatest things you can take out of your footy career.”