Kevin Rudd, the man who could be anointed prime minister early this evening, describes himself as "an attacking batsman in backyard cricket" and admits to a "Queensland bias" when it comes to his favourite sporting moments.
On the eve of today's federal election, Rudd told The Canberra Times yesterday that while he had a modest sporting background, he shared the national love of sport and sporting success.
A parochial Queenslander, Rudd's favourite teams are the Brisbane Lions and the Brisbane Broncos.
"They are my local teams and they are the best teams. I think they will both have good seasons next year," Rudd said.
And two of his favourite sporting moments belong to women from his home state - Olympic champions Cathy Freeman and Jodie Henry.
"You could say I have a little Queensland bias."
Since taking over the leadership of the federal Labor party in December last year, Rudd has traipsed the country explaining policy and, more importantly, letting people get to know him. He's established an image as a likeable, bookish type, but he's also made a point of stamping his sporting credentials.
Australians famously love sport and our politicians have long seen the benefit of tagging along on victory parades.
Bob Hawke will forever be remembered for his jubilant "anyone who sacks a bloke because he doesn't turn up for work today is a bum" line after the 1983 America's Cup win, while John Howard has made wearing Aussie team tracksuits on his morning powerwalks a trademark.
Senior lecturer in sociology at University of Melbourne Tim Marjoribanks said there was definite mileage to be made for politicians associating with sporting success.
"Success in sport is seen as a reflection on the success of Australia as a nation. When a political leader presents themselves as being passionate about sport then that is quite a powerful tool."
In Australia the sport with the greatest reach into the suburbs is cricket. The sport is entrenched in our culture, and unlike the football codes, it is almost equally popular nationwide.
Whether incidentally or deliberately, the nation has supported prime ministers who've shared a love for the summer game. Our three longest-serving PMs - Howard, Hawke and Robert Menzies - were all renowned cricket fans.
Menzies established the Prime Minister's XI versus touring international team match here in Canberra, even using his friendship with Sir Don Bradman to lure him out of retirement, aged 55, for a match at Manuka in 1963.
Hawke was a keen player who famously had his glasses smashed trying to hook a bouncer in a pollies vs press match in 1984, a moment brilliantly captured by then Canberra Times photographer Peter Wells.
Then there's Howard, dubbed a "cricket tragic" by former Test captain Mark Taylor, who bobs up in commentary boxes each summer to share his extensive knowledge of the game with TV and radio audiences.
It was little wonder then that one of Rudd's first public outings as Opposition Leader early this year was to the first Ashes Test in Sydney.
Since then he's filled in a few more of the blanks of his undistinguished cricketing background, the highlights of which it seems were social games during diplomatic postings to China.
Asked about his background as a sportsman Rudd said, "I was an attacking batsman in backyard cricket games in Beijing. [Labor treasury spokesman] Wayne Swan was the sportsman when we were at Nambour High."
Fortunately for Rudd, while the public seems to appreciate a leader who is interested in sport, they don't necessarily expect any on-field ability from them.
If they did, Howard would have long since been driven out of Kirribilli. It would no doubt pain the cricket-loving PM that he features on YouTube being comically stumped, being clean bowled by a primary school kid and, who could forget, attempting to bowl during a visit to an Aussie medical aid camp in Pakistan in 2005.
No doubt wary of his own efforts being ridiculed, Rudd insisted there were no cameras around during a recent game of park cricket with journalists in Perth.
Rudd has had much success in cultivating an image of a likeable intellectual with an acceptable interest in sport since he took over the leadership from Kim Beazley last year. He backed the wrong team in the AFL grand final (Howard went for emphatic winner Geelong), but made an inspired choice at the Melbourne Cup, when he backed outsider Efficient, which surged past Howard's pick Mahler to win.
He's shared some of his background as a sports fan, including days spent at the footy with sons Nick and Marcus and of watching Lillee and Thomson bowl at the Gabba in the 1974-75 Ashes series.
However Marjoribanks warned there could be danger in Rudd overplaying his hand if he is elected prime minister. A self-confessed geek overstating his sporting credentials could backfire.
"People are so passionate about sport they can quite quickly see through it if they think it's a bit of a sham. John Howard has rightly or wrongly been criticised for trying to make those links where they're not as strongly held. Bob Hawke got out there and played cricket. He was one of them, as opposed to the wannabe type of person.
"[Rudd's] team would no doubt have been thinking hard about it, acknowledging there is an element of sporting interest, but not saying he's the same as Hawke."
If the plethora of polls over the past months prove true and Rudd wins the election this weekend, he'll have at least three years to establish himself as a sports-loving prime minister.
And next year's Olympics in Beijing could be a golden opportunity for him. As a fluent speaker of Mandarin, if he chose to pop over to the Games images of an Aussie PM looking so at ease in China while sharing the success of our athletes would be a sure-fire winner back home.
But before then he'd get a sporting free kick much closer to home.
The rescheduling of the annual PM's XI match from December to January would give Rudd a chance to play selector in his new home town.
From presenting his team their baggy caps to tossing the coin on Manuka Oval, it would be a day in the sun for a new PM.