Which is why the Knights pre-season training period leading up to Christmas will be the most important seven weeks of his career.

Three years after virtually being told there was no future for him at the Knights, the prolific try-scoring winger has returned home from a highly successful stint in the Queensland Cup competition in a final bid to prove himself all over again.

He has signed a seven week train-and-trial deal with his former club that will take him up until Christmas. During that time, he'll be desperately hoping to show new coach Adam O'Brien why he is worth taking a punt on fulltime.

"It's fair to say it's probably the last throw of the dice,"he said. "I'm 23 now and although that doesn't seem too old, the window is closing for me that's for sure.

"From my point of view, I guess I'm fortunate that a few guys [outside backs] have left here and there might be some opportunities if I can impress at training so it's up to me to try and take it with both hands."

Soper-Lawler last played for the Knights in 2016, when he featured in both the Under 20's and NSW Cup sides. But he was not re-signed for 2017.

He has spent the past three years in the Q Cup with Sunshine Coast and South Logan. In 67 games, he scored 52 tries and was the leading try-scorer in the competition last season with 23 in 23 games for the Magpies, despite the team finishing 10th. It included a four-try haul in a 29-22 win over Norths Devils.

He said the three years away from home have made him a far better player.

"It's been like an apprenticeship to be honest. I played Under 20's down here and went away to try and better myself with a new experience and it was a really good learning curve for me," he said.

"You go away and hear different voices as far as coaches go and I spent a little bit of time in Melbourne [he did a pre-season with the Storm] and they drilled a fair bit into me which was good."

A self-confessed "late bloomer', Soper-Lawler says he has taken plenty of advice from ex-Knight Nathan Ross, who did not make his NRL debut until his late 20's.

"I speak to Rossy a fair bit and he's kept my spirits up at times when I've thought it [the dream] was over," he said.

"I've always chased the opportunity more than anything. When I was here last time, they had a far few established outside backs and it just didn't work out.

"Hopefully, this time, it will be different."