As he prepared to return to the Knights after spending the week with Queenslands State of Origin team, the talented centre revealed he was keen to continue working under veteran coach Wayne Bennett again.
His release from Queenslands Origin squad indicates encouraging news for the Maroons who have had a interrupted preparation with injuries to key backs Justin Hodges, Greg Inglis and Billy Slater.
Queensland coach Mal Meninga assured Knights officials Gagai would be released to rejoin his Newcastle clubmates ahead of what is a must-win match-up with his former club tomorrow night.
It is always a bit different coming up against your former club and I havent played many games against Waynes teams, so that will be something new too, Gagai said.
But everyone (at Newcastle) understands the importance of getting another win after last week. It was really important to snap that losing streak and while we didnt probably play our best footy, we fought pretty hard.
Obviously this is a good time to be getting Brisbane
they are missing a lot of guys with Origin duty. But at the same time you only have to look at names like Benny Hunt, Anthony Milford, Jordan Kahu, Adam Blair and Alex Glenn
there is still plenty of class there and I know Wayne will be after a win coming back to Newcastle for the first time.
Gagai was controversially axed by former Brisbane head coach Anthony Griffin in 2012.
Griffin was accused of taking hardline approach on the centre who was suffering through some personal issues at the time, having recently gone through the breakdown of a long-term relationship.
Without a footballing home, Gagai was thrown a lifeline by Bennett, who was then in the first year of his three-year stint as Newcastle coach.
Upon his return to Brisbane, Bennett made it clear he was desperate to have Gagai join him and opened talks in January, in a bid to lure the Maroons Origin prospect back to Red Hill.
Eventually, however, Gagai opted to remain with the Knights, whose offer reportedly doubled what Brisbane was able to put together.
Even so, Gagai said he had come within a whisker of making the trek back home.
Given my relationship with Wayne and how far back we go, that was always going to be something that came up given I was coming off-contract, said Gagai, whose father played under Bennett at the Broncos back in the late 1980s.
Im not oblivious to the things that were said after I signed on to stay in Newcastle, but to say it was just about money would be wrong.
I was tossing and turning that whole week before I made the decision. One day I was sure I would stay; the next morning I would wake up and think no, I am going to go. It was that close.
Wayne was great through it all. He never put any pressure on me, other than to say he would love me to come back to Brisbane.
But at the same time I know he cares deeply about the Knights and a lot the boys here. He has a lot of respect for the organisation and he said if I made the choice to stay he would respect and support that.
In the end I just decided that Newcastle had given me a good opportunity when I needed one and I believe my football has improved and continues to improve down here
so there was probably an element of owing the club something for what they did for me but also knowing that it was also going to be a good decision for my career.
