Karl Lawton walked over to the fence at Accor Stadium at Homebush last Saturday night with a feeling of gratefulness amongst the pain and agony of a Golden Point loss.
Amongst the many Manly fans clamouring for a photo or an autograph were two special people in Lawton’s life as he played his first NRL match in nine months after suffering a season ending ACL injury last year.
“It was just great to play NRL again. I definitely missed it. But what made it even better was to play in front of my son Lucky and partner Katie,’’ Lawton said.
“One of my goals coming back was to play NRL in front of Lucky. That’s a big tick for me.
“He was wearing his little Sea Eagles jersey that the club gave to us when Lucky was born last November. It has the name ‘Lawton’ on there and number 11 on it, so that was pretty cool.
“It was a pretty touching moment to pick my son up and give him a kiss. It made the loss a little bit easier.
“Having a little boy now has definitely changed my perspective on life. It’s not the be all and end all to win or lose a game.
“It’s nice to go home now after training or a game and be able to give him a cuddle. It sorts of cleanses your thoughts when you hear him laughing. It helps you to forget about your problems.
“I know it’s a cliché, but it really is a blessing. It’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
Twenty-seven-year-old Lawton can be more than proud of his performance in his first game back after many long days and sessions working under the Manly recon team.
“I guess I am proud of myself for getting back in there and ticking the game off,’’ Lawton added.
“I always felt confident in coming back because our physios do a great job. I had full faith in them and I trust them fully, so if they say I am good to go, then I believe that.
“Mentally, that also helped me to clear my mind of any doubt and meant that I could just go out there and do the job for the boys.
“It was just great to be back.”
