In 2009, Jake Friend was working at a Sydney cafe facing an uncertain NRL future.

Eleven years later, Friend would be forgiven for feeling a sense of deja vu.

Once again Friend is behind the counter serving coffees in the eastern suburbs after the NRL was shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.

Yet the difference between the youngster waiting tables more than a decade ago and the 30-year-old running his own cafe today could not be more stark.

And Sydney Roosters chairman Nick Politis credits tough love.

Specifically, his tough love.

Politis said he always liked Friend – that’s why he sacked him 11 years ago.

Friend reckoned he felt “invincible” after becoming a rising star in just his second year of NRL.

However, he felt anything but after three alcohol-related indiscretions in 2009 led to Politis showing him the door.

“I cared about Jake a lot, but he needed to learn, so I sacked him and told him he had to go and get a real job,” Politis told Fox Sports.

“He didn’t know at the time but my mission was father him through, make sure he was a better man for the experience.”

For four months Friend rolled up his sleeves at a Sydney cafe.

“Friendy took the bad news in his stride and went straight to work,” Sydney Roosters coach Trent Robinson, who was an assistant at the Tri-Colours at the time, said.

“We used to go and visit him at the cafe and nothing was beneath him.

“Waiting tables, washing dishes, he’d do it all.

“I can’t think of too many NRL players who would have responded the way he did.”

The Roosters eventually threw Friend an NRL lifeline and this time he embraced it.

He won a premiership ring in 2013.

By the time the Roosters successfully defended their NRL title in 2019 he was sharing the captaincy reins with Boyd Cordner, famously coming back from a two-month layoff (arm/calf) to play an integral role off the bench in last year’s decider.

“He played hardly any football that year but every single player in our team desperately wanted him in that grand final side,” former Roosters playmaker Cooper Cronk said.

“A lot of people wonder how we managed to hold things together defensively for that 10 minutes we were a man down. Well look no further than Jake Friend, his work rate was phenomenal.

“Friendy’s attention to detail is off the charts and mainly in those gritty parts of the game that go largely unnoticed.

“These days coaches record the number of special efforts players make in games, two to three is a good day, but it’s not uncommon for Friendy to hit double figures.”

Friend’s productivity hasn’t decreased despite the NRL being on hiatus.

Besides his cafe, Friend also runs a plumbing business.

The off-contract NRL star looks set for life after footy.

But just like those uncertain days 11 years ago, Friend has had plenty of time to ponder his future.

And just like in 2009, he hopes there are more NRL highlights to come.

“I’m 30-years-old and I’ve been playing the game for a long time, but I’ll never take this job for granted,” Friend said.

“I take pride in what I do and it’s important to me that I keep getting the job done to the best of my ability.

“I can still get better. I’m still chasing the perfect game.”