Dolphins second-rower Kulikefu Finefeuiaki wants to emulate his childhood idol Greg Inglis and play for Queensland and he's not far off realising that goal.
Finefeuiaki was selected for game one of last year's State of Origin series in the Maroons' extended squad and spent the full week in camp with the side.
Coach Billy Slater encouraged him to soak it all in, learn from the senior players and build good habits into his game back in clubland.
This year the 22-year-old has been a wrecking ball and one of the best performed forwards in the NRL. With the first Origin to be played on May 27 in Sydney, a Maroons debut is a realistic goal.
"It would mean the world," Finefeuiaki said ahead of Thursday night's home clash with Manly at Redcliffe.
"Moving over from New Zealand when I was 11 or 12, I watched Origin growing up.
"A special player was Greg Inglis, just the way he played Origin and the way he took on opponents. If I get to put on that jersey one day, it'd be a dream come true."
Maroons selectors will have been licking their lips over Finefeuiaki's early season form.
In four matches so far he is averaging 195m per game, almost double his return from last year.
He has picked up a yard of pace from last season and is rampaging into the defensive line like a raging bull. The Broncos, defending premiers, beat the Dolphins 26-12 on Friday night but struggled to contain him.
"In previous years I reckon I've been holding back in a few games, so this year I took it up a notch," he said.
His defence has also been more than solid. He averages 33 tackles per match at at an impressive efficiency rate of 91.7 per cent.
Finefeuiaki said he had ditched "island foods" and modified his diet, while taking other measures to improve his professionalism.
"I had to clean it up a bit during the pre-season, so diet's going well, sleep's going well and I'm doing extra recovery on days off," he said.
"I grew up in a big island family, so there's a lot of food there at home, but I had to not eat that kind of stuff and just eat good and clean."
Finefeuiaki represented Tonga in last year's Pacific Cup but his mixed heritage means it won't be a simple choice for him to make at this year's World Cup.
"I love my parents. Mum's full Samoan. Dad's full Tongan, so it's tough," he said.
"If I represent one (nation) then one parent would be angry, one parent will be happy ... so whatever happens at the World Cup. Right now I'm just trying to play good footy for the Dolphins."
