Mark Nawaqanitawase says Robert Toia has gone missing since his call-up to the NSW State of Origin side and the debutant winger is planning a chatty reunion at the MCG.
The pair usually star together in the Sydney Roosters' highlight reel and are great mates off the field, but Nawaqanitawase says it's been radio silence from Queensland centre Toia ahead of the second Origin on Wednesday night.
Nawaqanitawase is set to line up on the right-hand side, away from Toia, but intends to seek him out along with fellow Roosters teammate and Maroons halfback Sam Walker.
"Rob hasn't spoken to me all week," the former Wallabies rugby union star told AAP.
"We're best of buds a few days earlier, but as soon as he found out, (I'm playing) he doesn't want to talk to me, so I'm going to make sure I talk to him in the game.
"Not like bad chat ... I'm all fun and games and it's all our mates out there, mates versus mates, but I've still got to do my job and make it hard for them but at the same time you have that respect for them."
Nawaqanitawase has stunned with his freakish try-scoring feats since crossing codes and while he has a licence to thrill at the MCG on Wedneday, said that would only come off doing the basics well.
He was initially named on Laurie Daley's bench, before a leg injury to Casey McLean cleared the way for him to realise a childhood dream after just 36 NRL games.
"Yeah, you have a license to to do what you can do, but the game's pretty simple if you just do the the hard stuff first, those things will come," Nawaqanitawase said.
"It's not like I'm out there trying to do crazy things - I've just got to do my job as a winger for the team as best as I can and then whatever comes off that, that's just a bonus."
Nawaqanitawase and Toia share more than just impressive athleticism with the pair both proud of their Pacific island heritage, with roots in Fiji and Tonga respectively.
They are also both from families of 10 children, with Nawaqanitawase having a brother, sister and seven step-siblings and many cousins - and a large contingent of them making the trip to Melbourne to watch his Origin debut.
"I know how big the sports - rugby union, rugby league are in Fiji - so it's pretty cool to think I'm representing a small nation there," the 25-year-old said.
"But at the same time I'm also Australian and Italian, so I represent those two as well so it's cool to see the impact you can have with just running around and throwing the ball around."
