It was during one of the Dubbo Rhinos' pre-season training drills on Tuesday night when Ian Burns felt his left knee go.
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But the 54-year-old didn't let it stop him.
As a self-confessed "weirdo" who loves the training side of the game despite now being very much a part-time player, Burns continued on.
The reason he kept going proves why he's been such a successful and well-respected president at the Rhinos club for the past eight years.
"I love pushing myself and pushing the young blokes," he said.
"I love saying 'you're not buggered, keep going' and I think some people don't know how to push themselves beyond a certain point.
"I like to say 'if I can do it, than you can' and it's about getting the best out of people.
"Whether it's playing or being on the committee I like to lead by example. I've always done that and if the toilets need cleaning I'll go do it. I'm not beyond doing stuff like that.
"If you lead by example, hopefully people think 'if he's willing to then others should'."
Others will need to take on more responsibility now as Burns has stepped down from the top job.
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While Burns will still be on the committee and will likely still be there for each of the Rhinos' home and away games in 2022, he felt the time was right for a change.
"I've been on the committee ever since I've been with the club, about 27 years," Burns said.
"I've had various roles in that time. Committee members and vice president before being president for eight years and it's time.
"I was getting tired and probably losing the enjoyment of what it's about. We're all volunteers who put a lot into it so if that enjoyment wanes I think it's time to move on."
Brett Austin, another who's given a large chunk of his life to the club, has taken on the president's role after serving his apprentice for the past couple of years.
The past eight years has been full of high and lows for Burns and the Rhinos.
Burns took on the role as the Rhinos were demoted from the Blowes Clothing Cup to what was then called the Australian National Field Days competition due to the lack of a colts side.
The Rhinos had just one side to their name in those years but there was still success, with two grand final wins at Yeoval real highlights of the Burns era.
When the Central West Rugby Union structure changed in 2018 the Rhinos moved to the New Holland Agriculture Cup and has been steadily building since.
"That's what helps me feel easier about stepping down," Burns said of the club's healthy position.
"Plus 'Coolah' (Austin) is going to be fine and we've got a lot of the same committee.
"After last year, when all clubs played semis and unfortunately we couldn't play the grand finals in colts and second grade because of COVID, the club is in a good spot."
The New Holland competition earned praise from Burns and he said the success of it has helped his club.
A competition which currently features Narromine, Parkes, Blayney, and CSU Bathurst, Burns said it is one which has suited his club.
"We're a small club in a big town," Burns said.
"We play similar clubs or small towns and they're strong country clubs. Narromine is a perfect example.
"We're not a big club and we don't have incentives for players to come and play for us but if you want to come and play rugby, we're a good club with, hopefully, good values and playing some better football nowadays."
As well as the development, another big achievement of the club in recent years is the development of the Rhinos Netball Club.
The Rhinos had their first netball side on the courts in 2018 and numbers have steadily grown since.
"I'm really, really pleased about that," Burns said.
"In terms of the number of sides, we're actually a bigger netball club than we are a rugby club now."
Burns will have a major role at the Rhinos next year as he will organise the club's 30-year reunion.
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