But after two days of shearing 200 sheep and putting in fences at the family farm in Cowra, the giant front-rower is about to rub shoulders with the NRL's best players and go on his first international trip to Britain.

Boyd was picked on Tuesday in Mal Meninga's 24-man squad for the Four Nations trip to Europe alongside Raiders teammate Josh Papalii.

It capped off a good day for the Raiders, with Joe Tapine and Jordan Rapana selected in New Zealand's squad and Junior Paulo joining Samoa, while Cronulla duo Andrew Fifita and Paul Gallen were overlooked for Test duties.

Boyd is about to link with the likes of Cameron Smith and Johnathan Thurston.

The pig-hunting, country-loving 24-year-old is a throwback to an old-school rugby league era and spends his spare time in the shearing shed rather than on the beach.

But his international rivals should be on notice because after two days on the farm Boyd is itching to get back on the field and throw his 122-kilogram frame into whatever is in front of him.

"I love my footy and I also love a bit of farm work," Boyd said from the farm.

"But we had to shear a heap of ewes the other day and then backline them all. I'll have sore hamstrings for three days, your back goes and when that happens you're in all sorts.

"I'm pretty slow with it as well. So running into blokes is much easier, I'll be pretty sore after this."

Boyd's national call-up is reward for his breakout year in lime green and his form helped the Raiders charge to their best season in 21 years.

The Raiders' on-field rejuvenation has opened the representative doors for Boyd and Papalii (Australia), Rapana and Tapine (New Zealand), Paulo (Samoa) and Elliott Whitehead and Josh Hodgson (England).

Raiders skipper Jarrod Croker and Joey Leilua were overlooked for selection despite being the two form centres in the NRL. Croker is battling a knee injury and Leilua strained a hamstring two weeks ago.

Papalii, Tapine, Rapana, Hodgson and Whitehead returned to Raiders headquarters on Tuesday for a fitness session, but Boyd was putting in a different kind of effort on the farm.

Boyd could become just the sixth Raider in the past 10 years to play for Australia if Meninga uses him in the Test against New Zealand on October 15 or the Four Nations tournament in Britain. .

He formed a devastating front-row combination with Paulo and is one of the most feared big men in the game.

But he almost gave it all up and walked away from rugby league to return home two years ago. His career turned around when Raiders coach Ricky Stuart challenged him to "pull your finger out and have a real crack".

At the time Boyd was a big kid yet to make his mark and wasn't sure whether he wanted to pursue a long-term career in the NRL.

"It's good when someone comes in and changes a few things, it freshened me up," Boyd said of Stuart.

"It gave me a little bit more hope. When he said pull my finger out it was good, he said he'd pick me in first grade if I did and that he would actually do it. He stuck by his word.

"I thought I might as well have one last crack before I hung up the boots. So I ripped in and Ricky was true to his word and gave me a crack, I've never looked back since then."

Boyd will swap sheep and fences for Kangaroos training when he joins the Australian squad in Sydney on Thursday, before flying to Perth next week for the clash against New Zealand.

"The nervous part was the wait for them to cut the big squad ... I'm thrilled, I can't wait to meet all the boys," Boyd said.

"I was quite shocked when I was named in the initial squad, I've still got to wait and see if I'll get a game but I'm stoked and it's always something you have at the back of your mind."