The first came as he was preparing to give up on his professional dreams and return to the Gold Coast to work as a tradesman.

It was Wallabies great Stephen Larkham on the other end of the line offering a $40,000 lifeline and a shot at Super Rugby.

But the next call proved to be the most important, and this time it was Rapana dialing the number.

"I managed to get Dave Furner's number because my uncle was working at the Raiders at the time," Rapana said.

"I sent him a message and asked if we could meet. I don't think he really knew who I was, but I guess he did a bit. I just wanted a chance."

A rollercoaster journey is one of the most overused descriptions in sport, but it's the perfect way to sum up Rapana's path to the NRL grand final.

He started as a teenage prodigy on the Gold Coast, left to do a two-year Mormon mission in Wales, returned to Australia as a rugby union player and then finally found a home at the Raiders.

There's also been a fractured skull, which needed 60 stitches and a metal plate to repair, frustrating injuries this year and a remarkable 74 tries in 117 games.

The Raiders' clash against the Sydney Roosters could be his last game in the NRL as he weighs up contract offers from Japanese rugby, but he says he has pushed aside future talks to avoid extra emotion this week.

The try-scoring freak and one half of the "Leipana" bromance just wants to make sure he takes his opportunity on rugby league's biggest stage because he knows how quickly it can disappear.

Rapana was ready to quit sport when injury ruined his stint at the Western Force. Larkham wasn't ready to do the same, giving him a chance to train at the ACT Brumbies alongside Clyde Rathbone, Christian Lealiifano, Matt Toomua, Tevita Kuridrani and Henry Speight in 2013.

The Brumbies made the Super Rugby grand final that year, but Rapana's rise stalled. He was working as a barman and a barber in between Brumbies training commitments and games for Royals.

But at the end of the season, the Brumbies offered him another deal. As tempting as that was, he decided to take a chance on calling Furner.

"We met and he sent me to play for the Queanbeyan Blues to see if I still understood rugby league. I think I scored 10 tries in two games," Rapana says with a grin. His actual statistic was two tries in two games.

"I knew the Raiders were low on outside backs because they'd lost guys like Josh Dugan, Blake Ferguson and Sandor Earl.

"I knew there was an opportunity for me. I'm sure if I was playing for the Brumbies in Super Rugby then I might not have made that call to Furnsie. But that's life, isn't it. One door closes and another one opens.

"My motto is to not have regrets in life. If I had stayed at the Brumbies I wouldn't have regretted it. But calling Furnsie was the best decision I've made in my life."

His brief time in rugby union convinced his teammates he could make it at the top if he got the chance to impress.

"He's a freak," says friend and Brumbies back-rower Lachlan McCaffrey.

"He sees things that other people don't and everything he does, he's good at. He's got so much natural athleticisim, he would have excelled in league, union or whatever he wanted to.

"He's the first to tell you how good he is at golf or basketball.

"I know his family has been on this rollercoaster with him as well. He's had a heap of ups, but plenty of downs as well and was almost ready to quit to go to the Gold Coast to find a real job.

"I'm just happy for he and his partner Kelsey. I hope he can have one of his best games of the season in the grand final and the Raiders get to finish on a high.

"The occasion never gets to Jordy. He's a cruisy bloke - pizza and ice cream the night before games and a game of golf on game day. He can do that and maybe get man of the match in a grand final.

"I can't wait to cheer him on and hopefully see him create a bit of magic."

Rapana scored five tries in his first five games with the Gold Coast Titans in 2008. He had to wait six years until his next opportunity in the NRL.

More than a decade after his first game, he's still terrorising opposition wingers after partnering with Joey Leilua on the Raiders' right edge to tear teams apart.

They will square off with Daniel Tupou and Latrell Mitchell in the grand final and Rapana's itching for a chance to step on to the big stage on the same day sister Tamzin Gray plays in the women's grand final for Brisbane.

"Right now I haven't thought about my future at all. I'm being honest with you," Rapana said. "Maybe thinking about it would make me more nervous, I don't know. But I just want to focus on this, grand finals don't come around that often and I want to make the most of it.

"This is my sixth year here. Am I excited? Shit yeah. It's crazy to be in this position, but I think we deserve it and we've earnt it. Now we've got to make the most of it."

Can the Raiders end their 25-year premiership drought on Sunday night? "Bloody oath we can."