Jet lag's a killer hey.

The former Wigan Warrior hasn't taken long to put to the gym equipment Raiders recruitment guru Peter Mulholland set up for him good use in his hotel quarantine in Sydney.

Having arrived from England on Tuesday morning, Rushton was up before dawn on Wednesday and figured he might as well hit the gym.

When the workout's done, then there's plenty of time to give FIFA a workout on the Xbox. As well as teach himself to cook. Plus he's packed a few books to read.

Welcome to the life of the modern-day athlete - two weeks locked up in a hotel every time you move countries.

In a sign of how much his shot at the NRL with the Green Machine means to Rushton, he's left his family and friends on the other side of the world during a pandemic.

With no real clue as to when he'll be able to see them again.

"It feels weird, but my dad's been FaceTiming me 24-7, which it's good we've got that because I don't know how else he'd cope," Rushton said with an accent not too dissimilar to Raiders prop Ryan Sutton's.

"My mum and dad are doing alright. Excited for me really."

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He's also missing out on being there for Wigan's Super League grand final against St Helens on Friday.

The 19-year-old was originally meant to be there, but his flight to Australia got cancelled and he found a seat on an earlier flight.

It means he'll have to watch the game cooped up in a Sydney hotel instead.

Rushton made his Super League debut against St Helens earlier in the season.

"I was awake about 3.30am, I couldn't sleep so I jumped on the rower and did a bit of weights, loosened myself up," he said.

"Pete's done a great job. he's got some good food in and got me all the gym equip so I can keep fit over the next couple of weeks before pre-season."

Watching the final should help pass away at least of the time in quarantine.

He'd just finished Warriors training when he got a call telling him he was leaving early.

"It's a bit disappointing not to be over there for Wigan, but on the upside I can get into pre-season earlier over here and hopefully get more time in," Rushton said.

"Get fitter, get stronger and get to know the players before Christmas."

While Rushton's part of the senior squad and coming on a three-year deal, he's still eligible to play in the under-21 Jersey Flegg Cup.

That's where he's set his sights on earning his stripes and then pushing towards an eventual NRL debut.

It's a dream he's always had since he started playing rugby league as an eight-year-old - his dad driving him from non-rugby-league-town Blackpool to Wigan to play.

Given he's a second-rower, Rushton was looking to learn as much as he can from fellow Englishman Elliott Whitehead.

Whitehead's already introduced himself to the youngster on FaceTime since he arrived.

Rushton was unsure how he was getting to Canberra yet, with his quarantine set to end on December 8.

But he's already got a place to stay. The Raiders have set up a house - looked after by the parents of one of the juniors - where there's a handful of 21s players.

"I'll be starting from the bottom, like I did at Wigan, which I'm excited about," Rushton said.

"I don't want to be given any chances without proving myself. I'll start hopefully in the under-21s and hopefully prove myself there and move up into the reserves and eventually the first team - whenever that may be.

"Just hoping all the competitions are on - gives me more of a chance of playing."