If being out of action wasn't bad enough, seeing criticism of his All Blacks teammates was a hurt Anton Lienert-Brown didn't need to endure on his way back from a shoulder injury.
After missing the end of Super Rugby Pacific through the injury that saw him go under the knife, Lienert-Brown hasn't played since April, missing the All Blacks' series against Ireland and Rugby Championship.
But while he was sidelined, the All Blacks' form took a nosedive to begin the year.
Despite a convincing victory to open their season, back-to-back losses saw the All Blacks suffer a historic series defeat to Ireland, before going on to drop their Rugby Championship opener away to South Africa.
Coach Ian Foster's position came under intense scrutiny from both within and outside New Zealand Rugby, while captain Sam Cane's presence was also questioned.
While the All Blacks are no strangers to criticism for their on-field performances, seeing his teammates called into question on a personal level was a step too far for Lienert-Brown.
"I know those guys as human beings, I guess the public don't really know the All Blacks as people," Lienert-Brown told Newshub.
"Sometimes, people think they're supermen or they don't have feelings. We certainly do. As someone who is close with a lot of those guys, it has hurt. They're my friends.
"There was some nasty stuff that was said through that period."
However, despite those struggles, the All Blacks came through the other side as a better team.
Victory in Johannesburg saw Foster's side keep the Freedom Cup against South Africa for another year, while victories over Australia earned both the Bledisloe Cup, and Rugby Championship titles.
The upturn in results saw Foster backed through to the end of 2023, supported by his players as the man for the job.
And with supporters now back onside with the team, Lienert-Brown hailed the All Blacks' displays as the team returned to winning ways as the Southern Hemisphere's best side.
"I'm incredibly proud of what they've done," he continued. "The resilience they've shown to win the [Rugby] Championship, to win the Freedom Cup, and to win the Bledisloe shows how resilient they are as a team.
"When you go through those tough times, you learn an awful amount of a lot. Hopefully, I get the opportunity to be back in there and be amongst them."
In the meantime, Lienert-Brown is hopeful of ending his injury-imposed absence from the field, looking to get back on field as soon as possible.
That could come as early as Sunday when Waikato host Bay of Plenty in their NPC quarter-final in Hamilton.
And should all go to plan, Lienert-Brown could travel for the end-of-year tour, with both the All Blacks and All Blacks XV lined up for matches against northern hemisphere opposition.
"There's a process to it. Hopefully, I'll be playing some NPC soon for Waikato - all going well.
"And then lots of training. In terms of my training and where I'm at, you've always got to back yourself.
"It's the pinnacle. I know you've got to be at your best when you're in that jersey.
"I'm confident in what I've done with my training, the next step is playing some rugby now and proving that I'm up to it."
The All Blacks' end-of-year tour squad is named on Sunday, while the All Blacks XV will be announced a day later on Monday.
