When the Canberra Vikings called Mitch Third in early August offering him a spot in their squad for the National Rugby Championship, the talented teenager didn't hesitate - he packed his bags and was on a plane from Brisbane just days later.
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As a former Australian Schoolboys representative and member of the Queensland Reds under-20s squad, Third has an impressive highlights reel, but a wealth of five-eighth talent in Queensland has turned out to be the ACT's gain.
"I was hoping to make the QLD Country NRC team, but with the Reds pretty stacked for my position, I'm trying to put my foot in the door here with the Brumbies," he said.
"I got a call from my manager saying there's a gig down at the Vikings for NRC, so I took [the opportunity] with both hands and came down here as soon as possible."
The 19-year-old, who plays in the No.10 jersey, but is "comfortable" at fullback, has put his sports psychology studies on hold for a semester and has impressed the coaches so far.
"We didn't have a plethora of depth in terms of those key position players ... so we were looking around to bolster our depth, and he's a guy who caught the eye and played at a really high level in Brisbane," Vikings coach Brad Harris said, noting it was Brumbies assistant coach Dan McKellar who had noticed the teen.
"The big thing about Mitch, he's come down here, he's put his head down so far, worked really hard, he's had a fair bit to take in in terms of our systems and structures, but everything he's done to date has been really impressive.
"He's a young guy who's certainly on the fringes of probably getting Super Rugby opportunities."
The chance to get a foot in with the ACT Brumbies is spurring Third, who believes a spot in a Super Rugby roster is not beyond him, having spent the past two seasons playing club rugby with Sunnybank in Queensland.
"With the door closing there [at the Reds], another one opened, so looking at it, if I play well [in the NRC] it can be a huge opportunity here," Third said.
"Christian Lealiifano and Matt Toomua can play 10 and 12, and then there's that spot below them, they're looking for a guy to cover 10 and fullback, so it's obviously a good opportunity."
Third has been named on the bench for the Vikings' first game of the season against NSW Country on Saturday, but will have reasonably big shoes to fill if he comes on in the No.10 spot, in the form of Rodney Iona.
"He's obviously got a lot of experience, having some game time in Super Rugby, so I'm learning a couple of things from him personally, but coming onto the field, I just want to play my own game and bring what I have to the field," Third said.
Harris says its an "all-round game" that Third brings to the position.
"Defensively he's really solid; got a good kicking game, a really good understanding of the game, really good catch and pass skills [and he's] really good with the ball in hand."
Canberra Vikings vs NSW Country Eagles, Saturday 3pm, Woollahra Oval, Sydney
Vikings: 1. Allan Alaalatoa, 2. Robbie Abel, 3. Leslie Leulua'ali'i-Makin, 4. Rory Arnold, 5. Blake Enever, 6. Jordan Smiler (vc), 7. Jarrad Butler (c), 8. Ita Vaea, 9. Joe Powell, 10. Rodney Iona, 11. Lausii Taliauli, 12. James Dargaville, 13. Nigel Ah Wong, 14. Jerome Niumata, 15. Isaac Thompson, 16. Connal McInerney, 17. Sione Taula, 18. Ben Alexander, 19. Dean Oakman-Hunt, 20. Rowan Perry, 21. Brent Hamlin, 22. Mitch Third, 23. Francis Fainifo
