Indeed, a photo of Jayden Brailey's beaming smile would probably suffice, making any story redundant.

Brailey returned off the bench in the 53^rd minute of Sunday's clash, in his first appearance since he ruptured the cruciate ligament in his knee last April, prompting reconstructive surgery.

It was the second time he had undergone a dreaded "reco" procedure since arriving at Newcastle in 2020, as well as a ruptured Achilles that sidelined him for much of 2022.

And while the 27-year-old tried to stay "cool, calm and confident" as he awaited the call to replace Phoenix Crossland at dummy-half, he admitted to some growing jitters as his time drew near.

"I was nervous on the sideline," he said.

"I was up and down, kept moving, but through the day I tried to have a different approach and tried to be relaxed through the day as much as I could ... that was my attitude going into tonight.

"But once I got on the bench, the heart-rate picked up and I was a lot more nervous."

Brailey wasn't the only one with the adrenaline pumping.

"He would have been extremely nervous, and I know I was nervous," Knights coach Adam O'Brien said.

"I was crook in the guts this morning, so I'm so proud of him. It's been a really long slog for him."

Brailey has spoken openly about the "mental battles" he has faced while recovering from injuries, but he said moments like the full-time siren on Sunday, when the Knights celebrated their first win of the season, "just makes it all worth it".

He said a change in mindset helped him deal with the heartache of not playing last year while his teammates embarked on a 10-game winning streak that took them into week two of the finals.

"My whole life's been footy, footy, footy," he said. "But to be able to switch off, I tried to get away from the game last year because it was eating me alive, to be honest.

"At the start, it was pretty tough to get through, but I started valuing other things in my life a bit more and trying to get my happiness through those avenues.

"It was tough, it's been a big work in progress ... so it's good to be on the other side of it."

O'Brien and Brailey discussed the option of coming back through NSW Cup, but instead he clocked on for a 27-minute shift in the top grade, during which he made four runs and 20 tackles.

Brailey is likely to continue gaining match fitness and timing with cameo stints off the bench, and O'Brien was looking forward to using him in tandem with Crossland.

"I can only speak for us," O'Brien said. "I think it works well ... it just suits us."

Knights skipper Kalyn Ponga said Brailey was a "hugely inspirational" member of the team, always radiating "good energy".

"He's extremely resilient, extremely disciplined, to go through what he's been through over the last three, four years," Ponga said.

Of the tough times he has endured, Brailey has no complaints.

"It makes it all worth it," he said. "If it wasn't as hard as it is, it wouldn't feel as good."