HAD it not been Dane Gagai, you would’ve been tempted to grab his wrist and check for a pulse.
“I don’t care what anyone says, I’m looking at playing in the finals this year,’’ Gagai said ahead of Sunday’s season-opener for Newcastle against New Zealand.
Sorry Dane, did you say finals footy for the Newcastle Knights?
“100 per cent,’’ Gagai confirmed.
“If you weren’t looking to play finals, what’s the point in playing. Everyone wants to win every game.
“That’s the whole point, you turn up every weekend to win and this season, I’m going to give it everything I’ve got.
“I know a lot of the other boys are focused on that as well.’’
Two seasons ago, Gagai was rushed to hospital after almost blacking out during the warm-up of a match in Canberra.
His head spinning, the 26-year-old tried breathing into a paper bag, thinking that surely it must only be nerves and that he was hyperventilating.
By the end of the night, the gifted centre was on an operating table, receiving electric shock treatment.
The heavy charge of electricity returned Gagai’s heart back to a regular beat.
Gagai was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a condition that causes irregular heartbeat and is most common with marathon runners.
It wasn’t the only shock he received.
Told by doctors that his life would go on, to the full and just as strong on the football field, Gagai remained a nervous wreck for days, slapping two fingers on his throat and wrist, every few minutes.
That was, until he received an unexpected phone call from Nine’s voice of rugby league, legendary broadcaster, Ray Warren.
“I got a call from Ray Warren and he told me that he had had the exact same thing 40-years earlier,’’ Gagai said.
“I was paranoid about it, but Ray called me and said he’s never had it again since.
“He said he’s been going for runs, playing golf, I can’t tell you how good that was to know.
“I’d never met Ray before and I just got a call out of the blue.
“Obviously he’s a legend and everyone knows who is, so to get that call out of nowhere, it meant so much.’’
Prior to taking on the much-hyped Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium on Sunday, Gagai proudly declared: “I’ve had no problems since.’’
Which is great news, but it also depends how one views ‘problems’.
For long-suffering Knights fans, it’s been one problem after another.
And nobody knows this more, than Gagai, who’ll run out for his sixth season this year with the Knights.
Incredibly, through the departure of his first-ever NRL coach Wayne Bennett from Newcastle back to Brisbane, embarrassment and torment from two consecutive wooden spoons in the red and blue and the monthly lure to sign with a rival club, Gagai has stuck solid.
In an era when the only time you’ll read the word sport and loyal is on the side of a boat in the Sydney to Hobart, Gagai is everything the rebuilding Knights should be thankful for.
And now, despite being $151 rank outsiders with the TAB to win the 2017 NRL premiership, Gagai is talking finals.
“Obviously it’s no secret that over the past couple of seasons it hasn’t been the best for us,’’ the doting father of nine-month old Dante said.
“Not so long ago, we had a good crew of young guys coming through, with me, Tyrone Roberts, Robbie Rochow, Alex McKinnon and Korbin Sims, so there was a lot to look forward to a couple of years ago.
“Through an unfortunate circumstance with Alex, a lot of things changed after that and a lot of the boys started to taking off.
“Last year (leaving the club) did cross my mind.
“But Nathan Brown didn’t really get an opportunity last year to put together the team that he wanted due to salary cap reasons and so he had to play young guys earlier than he probably should’ve.
“But those players are going to be a lot better for that.
“And I can see where Nathan is taking this club and the people he’s bringing in. We’ve picked up Jamie Buhrer, Josh Starling, Rory Kostjaysen and Ken Sio.
“Even just those players alone, have already made an impact on the team. It’s one of the best pre-seasons I’ve had.
“For me, it’s about trying to be something bigger than just myself. It’s about getting this club back into the winners’ circle and I believe that this club is heading into the right direction to do that.’’