"You can never control everything in rugby league, but the things I can control are how I live and how I behave, and that's what I'm focused on in terms of where I see myself in 12 months time.
"I still want to be living the right way, living the same way I am now."
Born in Foxton, a small town on the lower west coast of New Zealand's North Island, Packer was with the Warriors for six years, earning Kiwis selection in 2011.
He signed a four-year contract with Newcastle in 2013 before it was torn up due to his assault conviction.
The 26-year-old prop returned to rugby league in 2015 with the Illawarra Cutters in the NSW Cup and signed a two-year deal in October with St George Illawarra.
Packer is ecstatic to be included in the team to face the Storm, eager to test himself against a player he rates as the benchmark for front-rowers.
"I'm really excited to go down to Melbourne and pull the jersey on in a real NRL game, to get out there and represent the club, a club that has given myself and my family a lot of support through these hard times. It'll be good to repay them not only in this first game, but as many times as I can.
"Obviously, (Storm prop) Jesse Bromwich is the standard for front-rowers. He's an elite front-rower in the world, so it's going to be good to get back on the field and test not only myself, but all our forwards against really high-calibre opponents like Jesse."
Packer's enforced absence from the NRL has given him a new perspective on life.
"I'm at a different place, especially mentally, from when I last played NRL, and also definitely physically.
"I was overweight and out of shape when I last played for the Warriors. I'm in the best shape I've been in for a long time, about 118 kilos," Packer said.
- AAP
