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Matt Henjak has broken his silence on his sacking from the Western Force, claiming "rugby union here has turned its back on me".
Speaking exclusively to The Sun-Herald, Henjak talked about the agony of having his Force contract torn up after breaking the jaw of teammate Haig Sare in an alcohol-fuelled altercation.
"It's been a pretty tough week," Henjak said. "Some people mightn't understand how big an impact it's having on my life.
"Someone said to me the other day it's probably a bit like being a plumber, you spend four years doing your apprenticeship, then work for a couple more years to get better at it. Then, all of a sudden, someone tells you that you can't work as a plumber in Australia any more and you'll have to head overseas to find work.
"That's the hardest part - I've spent all my working life training to play professional rugby here in Australia and now that's been taken away from me.
"I've certainly made some mistakes and handled things the wrong way at times, but a part of me feels as though rugby union here has turned its back on me."
Asked if he felt he received a fair hearing, Henjak said: "I've got my thoughts on that but I'll keep them to myself for the time being. At the end of the day, though, I accept responsibility for my own actions."
The former Wallaby was concerned the latest incident would forever tarnish his reputation but vowed to take steps to overcome his personal problems.
"[My reputation] is not the best and I recognise that," he said. "I've got to look at the positives though and I've now got an opportunity to try and change that.
"There are certain things I need to work on and I'm going to get professional help.
"Sometimes we all think we're capable of handling problems on our own but I know from experience that if you bottle things up and don't get help then sometimes you can react badly to certain situations.
"That's been my undoing more than once … I don't want to make excuses - I know I've got to change a few things."
The 26-year-old believed he still had a lot to offer rugby.
"I'd like to keep playing rugby union overseas," he said. "There's already been some interest from two or three leading European clubs, so hopefully something concrete will come up soon."
However, he wouldn't rule out a move to the NRL.
"I'd play NRL if the right opportunity came up," he said. "I think I could adapt well to league, I played a fair bit of it as a kid. Still, my preference is to keep playing rugby and I realise that to do that I have to move overseas …
Everything's a bit uncertain at the moment, which isn't easy to deal with. I've got a mortgage like a lot of people.
"Not knowing when or where my next pay cheque is coming from is hard."
The ARU approved the Force's decision to sack Henjak, although chief executive John O'Neill left the door slightly ajar for Henjak to resume his rugby career in Australia. The development has kept alive Henjak's dream of again representing the Wallabies.
"I'll never say never when it comes to the Wallabies," he said.
"I know I can play and if I can get a good season or two under my belt in Europe then I'd like to think that I could get an opportunity to come back and play here.
"It was an honour to represent Australia and I'll always be aiming to do that again."
Henjak thanked his supporters for helping him through the most tumultuous period of his life.
"My girlfriend Bree and my family, friends and my manager have given me so much support," he said. "I would have struggled without them."
Speaking after the Force's 16-15 win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, former Force teammate Drew Mitchell said his team would look to support Henjak through the tough times ahead.
"I think it's up to us now to really support Matt through the hard times ahead for him," Mitchell said. "He's a great guy.
"We just need to be there to support him through these times."
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"Remember lads, rugby is a team game; all 14 of you make sure you pass the ball to Giteau." 
Originally Posted by frontrow
Was the wait worth it - Ya betta baby 
