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When Benji Marshall flew into Auckland with the rest of the Sydney-based Kiwis on Tuesday, he was buffeted by 120km/h winds.
If he were one for symbolism, he might have chuckled and thought it was appropriate as he has battled more turbulence over the past three years than a Wellington-based pilot.
Up until 2006, it had generally been smooth flying. He had just spectacularly guided his Wests Tigers side to the 2005 NRL title on the back of his audacious sidestep, blistering pace and dazzling flick passes and it had many commentators exclaiming him a "phenomenon", "freak" and "gift from God".
He was the reason kids on both sides of the Tasman would spontaneously sidestep a lamppost with an exaggerated hop and step.
For Marshall, rugby league was fun and it was a delight for all but opposition defenders to watch him.
But the fun stopped. Five shoulder surgeries and a major knee injury saw to that. As did life in the Sydney fishbowl which came to a head when he was attacked in a nightclub.
For all the benefits, sometimes it's hard being Benji Marshall.
"It's hard but it could be worse," he says in the leadup to today's All Golds match against the New Zealand Maori in New Plymouth. "I could be concreting or stuck in an office all day. I would rather be doing what I love for a living rather than slug it out like all my family growing up.
"The worst thing is the pressure. There's always a lot of expectation put on my shoulders. I started out young and won a premiership really young and went to the top straight away. Everyone expects you to go higher and higher and it's a hard thing to do.
"Also I can't really live a normal life in Sydney and can't really go out, especially with the stuff that's been happening with people harassing players. A lot of little things build up. Sometimes you think, 'I wish I was a normal person' but then when you get to play it's like, 'no, I'm glad I'm here'.
"I can't complain. My life is great and I am providing a good living for my family."
A large reason for Marshall's renewed enthusiasm is the fact he's been injury-free for five months. He even played 18 games for Wests Tigers this season - the second-highest in his six-year NRL career - including 16 in a row.
For someone like Simon Mannering, who has not missed a game in nearly three years, that wouldn't be remarkable. But for Marshall, who has still only played 80 games since making his debut in 2003, it was a triumph.
Towards the end of the season, the swagger looked to be back and he was not only surviving but also putting in match-winning performances.
You also get the sense he is enjoying being back in the limelight for the right reasons. Moments after All Golds training finished, he made sure his sparkly ear-ring was in place before photographers started snapping away. Got to look the part at all times.
"It was hard to get my timing and confidence back [with all the injuries]," he says. "I was putting pressure on myself to perform and was too busy trying to please everyone else rather than doing what was best for me.
"Every time I came back I was trying to get back to my best straight away. It was always going to take time.
"There were also times when I doubted myself, whether I could get back to where I was and whether my shoulders would hold up. I used to try to protect myself on the field so I wouldn't get injured. But you know the old saying, 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'.
"I feel like I've just got back to the stage where I can stop doing that and just play. If it happens, it happens, but the way I feel now I
don't think it's going to happen.
"I was glad I got the full year in this year and I think my last five or six games were the best I have played since 2005, and some of them better. Getting through those 18 games was a big thing for me. It's a good lead-up for the World Cup and I'm feeling as confident as ever."
It's something Wests Tigers coach Tim Sheens has noticed. Not one to get caught up in hyperbole after 25 years as a first-grade coach, Sheens has been a mentor - Marshall says his coach treats him like a son.
He has put an arm around his shoulder when needed, castigated him to bring him back into line and advised him about life on and off the pitch. It's been difficult to watch what Marshall has had to contend with.
"There's no doubt it's been a rollercoaster," Sheens says. "It's upsetting sometimes. I know him pretty well and I know when he's upset and there's no doubt he's had his moments and wrestled with himself as to whether he's enjoying his game.
"As I've said to him, it's not always about enjoyment. This comment, 'I play well when I enjoy the game', is not always true. The game is about enjoyment and you want to enjoy it but the game is about doing well and that's when you enjoy it.
"Sometimes playing well means hard work. Rugby league is a little more than just a sport, it's a profession. It's highly competitive. It's not park football. It's not playing touch with your mates."
The kid from Whakatane first came to prominence on the touch field. During a school trip to the Gold Coast as a 15-year-old, he was invited to play a trial game for Keebra Park school. Even though he had never played league before his skills even then were hard to miss.
He readily accepted a scholarship to Keebra Park, who have an association with the Wests Tigers, and made his NRL debut opposite the great Andrew Johns before he had finished high school.
Just over two years later he had won an NRL premiership. It brought him a premiership ring but came with scrutiny that knew no bounds.
"In those days I often said his reputation was ahead of his ability," Sheens says. "He was only young, and still is. But these days he understands the game more and is coming to terms with being a professional footballer and all the responsibilities that come with it. Like being scrutinised every game.
"I don't know if it's fortunate or unfortunate. You could be unfortunate and never be reported [in the papers], that you are just a player, if you're lucky. And then you can be something special and reported regularly and that's what Benji is.
"You have to learn to live with that and live with the fact you are a bit different, that you have more ability than most and are expected to deliver more often than most.
"Benji needs a good World Cup and off-season and I don't think the kid will look back. I think his best is yet to come."
What sport that will be in, however, is a matter of conjecture.
Rugby union, complete with its super-sized chequebook, has already swallowed up Sonny Bill Williams and Mark Gasnier, and Marshall is an obvious target given his background in the 15-man code.
He comes off contract with Wests Tigers at the end of 2009 and his agent Martin Tauber has already indicated rugby clubs have been circling.
Marshall has said he won't play for a rival NRL club but hasn't ruled out making the switch.
"I would never say never to anything," he says. "Just look at the way rugby league is going, especially in Sydney. It's like a fishbowl. I am handling it at the moment but I think if it gets any worse there will be more of an exodus of players wanting to leave.
"When blokes are being offered $1-$1.2 million a year to play rugby in France compared to, say, $300,000 in the NRL, how do you say no? I have another year at the Tigers and I am happy there but we will see what happens next year."
His price will surely increase if he has a good World Cup. There's every reason to expect he will and the Kiwis need Marshall to be close to his best to have any chance of upsetting the Australians.
Today a "star-struck" Marshall gets an opportunity to play alongside his idol, Stacey Jones, for the All Golds before the real work starts in earnest.
It's going to be a difficult month. But Marshall has been through much tougher.
