Pasami Saulo wants to "make a name" for himself this season after an injury-cruelled year and will get an early chance to do so playing in the All Stars match next week.
The towering 190cm prop was picked for the Maori for a second time after debuting for the side in 2020 in what was a cultural experience he can't wait to enjoy again.
Saulo, who has made 16 NRL appearances over the past four years, was the only Knights player selected for the February 12 fixture at CommBank Stadium in Parramatta.
Kalyn Ponga and Dane Gagai were both eligible to play in the game but withdrew before the squads were announced.
Gagai, who is eligible to play for both the Indigenous and Maori teams, said he didn't want to play for either side whilst ever they were facing each other. The Knights said Ponga was focusing on the season ahead.
Despite having played in the last All Stars, Saulo said his selection "came as a surprise".
"I was real happy and I know my family will be happy as well," he said.
"I get to get another game in and enjoy the culture side of things as well, learn a bit more about where I'm from."
Saulo, a Maitland junior, was raised in Australia but has Kiwi bloodlines through his father. The 23-year-old has relatives in New Zealand but has met very few of them.
He was drafted into the Maori side on late notice in 2020, when the All Stars fixture was last played, and said it was the first real opportunity to explore his Maori heritage.
"I'm not too familiar with it," he said.
"I know it's on dad's side but I'm keen to learn more about it. The first time I went on camp it was a really great experience for me."
Saulo will depart for a shortened camp with the Maori next week. The young father of two boys, who is off-contact at the end of this season, has enjoyed an uninterrupted preseason this summer after recovering from a horror leg injury midway through last year.
The prop suffered a dislocated left ankle and fractured fibula playing reserve grade in a match against Canberra in Wagga.
He managed to return to the NRL side in round 24 as an unused reserve and then played 37 minutes off the interchange bench against the Broncos a week later.
"I just want to play as much footy as I can, especially in the NRL," he said of his 2022 aspirations.
"I really want to make a name for myself this year. This is the year."
KNIGHTS NEWS: Brodie Jones eyes starting spot after 'breakout' 2021 season
