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HITCHHIKING up the north coast, a backpacking odyssey to Tibet, and no mobile phone whatsoever.
It sounds like a bohemian fantasy, and for one of the NRL's most marketable stars it almost came true.
While other players were trying to keep off the weight last spring, Jamal Idris was fantasising about filling his rucksack and quitting for a year.
TITANS TO TARGET OLD BOY IDRIS
Idris considered leaving the NRL behind. Source: Getty Images
The Panthers star opened up on Monday about his emotionally turbulent off-season, which was fuelled with doubts over whether he could come back from a broken leg.
Suffered last July while he was still with the Titans, the major injury conjured some surprise demons for Idris, who is generally renowned for his laid-back approach to life.
"Footy was the only thing that made me happy and when you take that away from someone, what do they have left?" he said.
"That started stressing me out a bit because It's not the person I am, or want to be. I thought maybe I should take a break, because I didn't want footy to consume me and be my entire life.
"If it's starting to become that important, then you have to stop and think. Look at what's happened to poor Alex (McKinnon). It can all be taken away, it can all change in a split second."
Idris hotfooted back to his parents in Sydney once his commitments with the Titans were finished last September. The next six weeks were unlike any he — or any other player — will encounter again.
Idris was looking for a way out of professional sport. Source: Getty Images
Firstly, Idris ditched his phone. He'd grown tired of its constant demands clouding his headspace.
But what his free spirited soul really craved was a complete escape. The thought of going back to Robina repulsed Idris, so he began investigating exotic destinations. Selling his Varsity Lakes house and buying a campervan to drive around Australia was one option. Travelling around Europe was another.
"But when I was looking around I found Tibet was the best for me, because I just wanted to live simply," he said. "I looked right into it — visas, flights and accommodation. My mum was supportive, she thought maybe it was a good thing for me to get away."
His brother Isaac felt differently. A heart-to-heart conversation persuaded Idris not to interrupt the rare opportunity his talents had provided.
But there was still a twist in this very unique tale. Because he flew to Sydney, Idris had no wheels to get him back to the Gold Coast from a holiday with family in Forster, on the mid-NSW north coast.
IDRIS: HENRY TURNED THE TITANS
"I actually hitchhiked to Byron Bay," he revealed. "It didn't take me very long to find a ride — only about forty minutes. They were two young guys from Sydney. They did recognise me and thought it was a gee-up at first. But then when we got to Kempsey they realised I was serious."
A $250 taxi ride sufficed for the final leg of the journey, returning Idris to the holiday strip in time for pre-season training on the first week of November. He lasted two months, before the demands of full-time rehab and isolation from his family became too much.
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Ahead of Monday night's clash against the Titans, Idris stresses his gratitude to John Cartwright for allowing him to go. From the moment he arrived at Penrith in January, Idris was honest and clear about the person he is.
"There's a lot of people in football who try to make the game too serious," he said. "In essence, it's a simple game complicated by idiots.
"I'm just not the type of person who can change into that. If they want to change me, they won't win. Penrith know who I am and how to handle me.
"I'm a human being, not just a footballer."
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