The new award recognizes a player who has fought through injury, illness, personal hardship, or an extended absence to return and deliver a standout season, and Robertson's 2026 campaign is close to the blueprint. Midway through the 2025 season, the Kiwi playmaker suffered a season-ending injury that ended his year early, a brutal blow for a player who had opened that same season by kicking a game-winning conversion and gone on to become MLR's all-time leading drop goal scorer along the way. 

When DC announced his return that November, Robertson wasn't just walking back into a jersey he'd worn since the club's very first MLR match. He was the highest-scoring active player in the league, sitting fifth on the all-time list with 367 career points, and there was every reason to wonder whether the injury would slow him down.

It didn't. Robertson played in all Old Glory's regular season games, a notable feat on its own given what the year before had looked like. He posted 88 points on the season, made 82 carries for 201 meters, and beat 20 defenders. His work extended well beyond attack too, with 83 tackles made and a massive 4107 total kick meters as he directed the Old Glory game plan from the tee. That production helped the Flags finish 4th in the regular season and sneak into the playoffs.

Robertson didn't get to play a part in DC's postseason run. He returned home to New Zealand to welcome his first child with his partner, a decision that meant missing the playoffs but one that speaks to exactly the kind of season this was, on and off the field. His teammates and coaches recognized as much, naming him Old Glory DC's 2026 Players' Player of the Year for a season defined by consistency, even before the league confirmed him as its first-ever Comeback Player of the Year.

Robertson's 2026 is a reminder that comebacks in rugby are rarely just about getting back on the field. Sometimes they're about staying there.