Everyone keeps asking Joey Leilua about that damned eye.
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The one that came off second best when he ran under a machine spewing sparks and smoke two weeks ago. Something shot out of it, got stuck in his eye and almost forced him out of a game.
It wasn't enough to keep him sidelined - but the mere sight of fireworks ahead of the Canberra Raiders' preliminary final clash with South Sydney just might.
Fireworks at the end of the Canberra Stadium tunnel on Friday night may be the Rabbitohs' saving grace, because "I'm definitely not running through fireworks, I know that".
"If I see them, I am walking the other way. I am not running through that tunnel if I see fireworks ... or at least I will close my eyes," Leilua said.
He needn't fear fireworks as he makes his way onto the park - the spark simulation part of the machine players run through has been outlawed by the NRL, reducing it to a smoke machine.
Leilua is the only Raider to have played in an NRL grand final, which came during his debut season at the Sydney Roosters in 2010.
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He admits he took it for granted - back then he was a young kid thinking life in the top grade perhaps wasn't as hard as many seemed to think.
Leilua has featured in just three finals campaigns since that season - in 2013 with Newcastle, and with Canberra in 2016 and this year.
The common trend? All three have resulted in a preliminary final, and to date, he is yet to return to the grand final.
"I was a young pup when I was coming through. It was my rookie season when we made the final, and I didn't think much of it," Leilua said.
"I thought we'd be there every year, as a kid you think 'this is easy'. You forget how hard you have to work towards that premiership.
"Unfortunately we didn't get that win in the final, but I know what it takes. We'll do all the little things right.
"It's my ninth or 10th season now. Just to make it takes a lot of work and dedication to what you want to achieve.
"As an individual, you have to make sure you are individually prepared, then your teammates will be too."
This may turn out to be Leilua's final shot at winning a premiership in Canberra with the strike weapon being allowed to test the open market for next year and beyond.
Leilua's contract with the Raiders runs until the end of next season and the club would be unable to meet his asking price from 2021.
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There is scope for Leilua to remain a Raider but he has been linked with a move to Canterbury Bankstown - but right now it means little for the 27-year-old.
"Speculation will happen. For me, wherever I am contracted to at the time, I want to win a comp," Leilua said.
"If I'm here for another year or if I go somewhere else, I will have the same mindset - I want to be in that final in the postseason."
There could be no better place to earn a spot in the biggest game of the season than a sold-out Canberra Stadium.
The last remaining tickets were snapped up within minutes on Tuesday morning as Canberrans jump on board the Green Machine bandwagon in pursuit of a premiership.
A full house has Raiders officials bracing for the club's biggest home crowd in history with venue capacity for the preliminary final rising to about 28,000.
"Wow. That's crazy. I've seen them in a full stadium, and there is a lot of noise. It'll be exciting for the kick-off, we'll be ready," Leilua said.
"That's probably the best part, running out to the Viking clap. No one else has that unique style of welcome when they're running out to the crowd.
"We have that here, and I'm sure it's going to be amazing. Once that whistle is blown, kick-off time, it all goes out the window and we will be straight into the game plan."
NRL PRELIMINARY FINAL
Friday: Canberra Raiders v South Sydney at Canberra Stadium, 7.50pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Josh Hodgson (c), 10. Sia Soliola, 11. John Bateman, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Joe Tapine. Interchange: 14. Bailey Simonsson, 15. Emre Guler, 16. Corey Horsburgh, 17. Dunamis Lui. Reserves: 18. Sam Williams, 19. Ryan Sutton, 20. Siliva Havili, 21. Sebastian Kris.
Rabbitohs squad: 1. Adam Doueihi, 2. Alex Johnston, 3. James Roberts, 4. Dane Gagai, 5. Campbell Graham, 6. Cody Walker, 7. Adam Reynolds, 8. Thomas Burgess, 9. Damien Cook, 10. Liam Knight, 11. John Sutton, 12. Sam Burgess (c), 13. Cameron Murray. Interchange: 14. George Burgess, 15. Junior Tatola, 16. Ethan Lowe, 17. Mark Nicholls. Reserves: 18. Jaydn Su'A, 19. Corey Allan, 20. Dean Britt, 21. Mawene Hiroti.