RENI Maitua took the Canterbury Bulldogs for granted when he last walked through the doors of Belmore Sports Ground almost six years ago.
On Tuesday morning he drove back with a very different attitude, and discovered his first home was had undergone some equally significant changes.
Speaking for the first time about returning to Canterbury on a deal that will bookend his career at Belmore, Maitua was amazed at the venues facelift.
"I can hardly recognise it from when I was here last," said Maitua.
"All these offices (inside the grandstand) used to be old toilet blocks."
Reflecting on his first stint at Canterbury, which delivered his lone premiership and Australian Test jersey, Maitua now realises he could have achieved much more as part of one of the most feared forward packs in recent history.
"I've thought about this and also spoken to former team mates like Sonny Bill Williams, Willie Mason and Willie Tonga about how much we took this place for granted," he confessed.
"Winning a premiership in our first year together created a lot of egos. Thats all part of growing up and becoming more mature, I suppose.
"Sometimes we thought we were bigger than the club, and ultimately none of us ended up being left here. It was a move the club had to make to become successful again.
"I try not to have regrets in life, but we could have won three, four or even five premierships if we were all on the same page."
After collecting back-to-back wooden spoons at Parramatta for over the past two seasons, Maitua's primary motivation isnt silverware.
One of a dozen Eels told to look elsewhere in June, the 31-year-old Rabbitohs junior wants simply off-field stability
"There were only two clubs I really considered playing at Canterbury and Souths.
"I wanted to stay close to my family in Sydney, so moving wasnt an option, and the club had to have good stability and a good coach.
"There was no point going to another club that was rebuilding, and I think Parramatta found themselves in this position because of poor management from ten years ago.
"It also has the worse training facilities in the NRL, we trained on four different grounds and one of them Ritchie Benaud Oval I wouldnt let my dog run on it.
"The players are responsible for what happens on the field, but at some point management have to be accountable for the teams preparation and overall performance."
Appointed Eels co-captain alongside Jarryd Hayne and Tim Mannah in March, Maitua handed over leadership duties after receiving word that the final year of Parramatta deal was unlikely to be honoured.
"The toughest thing was being told by the former CEO (Ken Edwards) that it wouldnt get out in the media, then reading my name all over Twitter when I walked out of the room," he said.
"I just needed to step away and take that weekend off, because my mind wasnt on the job.
"Being one of the captains, you feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.
"A good leader never shows signs of weakness and I probably wasnt ready for it."
"I didnt have to leave Parramatta, and I spoke with (former Eels coach) Ricky Stuart about possibly staying. In the end, we agreed that it would be best for me to leave."
The only thing Maitua will need to concentrate on at Canterbury is breaking into the forward pack, with his role expected to replicate that of departed utility Dene Halatau.
His first training session in the Bulldogs gym was on Tuesday, but he is yet to meet new coach Des Hasler.
"I've only spoken to him on the phone twice," Maitua said.
"I'm expecting him to be someone very disciplined, who knows the game very well and a perfectionist.
"I'm really looking forward to this. Its like unfinished business."
