The dream of playing at the iconic MCG, just as his childhood hero Lance Franklin did, was front and centre for Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow when he was young.
Tabuai-Fidow now gets to fulfil that ambition in State of Origin II on Wednesday night as a Queensland Maroons superstar.
It was AFL legend Franklin who Tabuai-Fidow wanted to emulate when he was an aspiring Australian rules footballer before he pledged his allegiance to rugby league.
“It’s a famous stadium,” Tabuai-Fidow said of the MCG.
“Growing up as a kid, just playing at those big stadiums would have been pretty cool.
“Buddy Franklin was my AFL idol, just the stuff that he did during the game.
“He was a big body and just those goals and those marks that he did take were pretty special. Just watching him, growing up, was pretty special.
“I’m excited I get to play rugby league at that stadium.”
Tabuai-Fidow, with eight tries in his five State of Origin matches, is fresh from a hat-trick against NSW in the 38-10 win in the series opener in Sydney earlier this month.
He has scored at least one try in each Origin match he has played and is confident he has more up his sleeve.
“I think I do,” Tabuai-Fidow said.
“I love scoring tries and just getting over the line for the boys.
“Hopefully this game I can get at least one again.”
In Tabuai-Fidow’s most recent NRL appearance for the Dolphins, he lit up the crowd with a 98-metre try in the 30-28 win over Cronulla last week.
“It was a pretty special try for me,” he said.
“I think it was top two or three for me scoring that try the other week. It was pretty cool.”
AAP