Xavier Savage has his sights set on playing State of Origin.
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And the Canberra Raiders fullback will spend Wednesday night watching the Origin stars like NSW Blues captain James Tedesco to help take his game to the next level.
Similarly, Raiders winger Nick Cotric has a fire in his belly to get back to the Origin stage to add to his one game for the Blues in 2019.
But first Savage was focusing on continuing to build his performances for the Green Machine - starting against the Brisbane Broncos at Lang Park on Saturday night.
Savage will play his third game in a row in the Raiders No.1 jersey as he continues what he hoped would be a long journey in the NRL.
He's already shown a glimpse of what's to come through his lightning pace, as well as his deft hands that helped him score a brilliant try in the Raiders' 22-16 victory over the Sydney Roosters on Sunday.
And it's not hard to imagine him in a Queensland Maroons jersey down the track if he continued his development.
That's certainly where he wants to be.
Blues custodian Tedesco was one player Savage would be watching as he looked for tips from the best players on planet to help get himself to a similar level.
"It's obviously a big goal and dream of mine since I've been playing this game," Savage said.
"That Origin standard's where I'm aiming to be. I feel like Origin's even bigger than Test match games.
"So that's probably where I set my standards at, so definitely got to be learning off the best in the game.
"It'd be crazy one day if I got that opportunity."
Savage revealed the simple message Raiders coach Ricky Stuart had for the 20-year-old before the game - "have fun".
The young fullback's loving life and relishing every day doing the "best job in the world" - although he said it wasn't as easy a job as many make out.
"I'm just learning something from every game and taking something out of it," Savage said.
"Obviously I've got a bit of improvement and learning to go - I'm just starting my career and hopefully it's a long one.
"But I'm feeling much more comfortable every game and hopefully I hit my peak performance soon."
Cotric has similar ambitions to return to the biggest stage in rugby league.
He played game one of the 2019 Origin series, but an ankle injury ruled him out of the second one.
The 23-year-old's hit his straps over the past five weeks, averaging 141.4 run metres per game over that period and refinding the form he had before he joined Canterbury for a season.
His hard running out of his own half will become even more important for the Green Machine against the Broncos with his fellow winger Jordan Rapana suspended for one game.
"It's a goal of mine to get back there. It was a great experience being there and playing that game," Cotric said.
"You've still got the fire in the belly. I just want to get my strides going and play the best footy for the club I can first and see what happens.
"It's one of my goals for the future."
Savage was looking forward to welcoming back Josh Papalii and Jack Wighton from the Origin arena.
He emphasised their importance to the Raiders went beyond their ability on the field, with their leadership also a crucial cog.
"They're two of the biggest leaders in our team. They've been playing some good footy obviously as they're picked in the Origin side again," Savage said.
"Hopefully they're not too sore and bashed up from the game and can be back playing with us soon."
NRL ROUND 14
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Brisbane Broncos at Lang Park, 7.35pm.
Raiders squad: 1. Xavier Savage, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Matt Timoko, 4. Sebastian Kris, 5. James Schiller, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Josh Papalii, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (c), 13. Adam Elliott. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Ryan Sutton, 16. Corey Harawira-Naera, 17. Corey Horsburgh. Reserves: 18. Semi Valemei, 19. Matt Frawley, 20. Trey Mooney, 21. Harry Rushton, 22. Adrian Trevilyan.
Broncos squad: 1. Te Maire Martin, 2. Corey Oates, 3. Kotoni Staggs, 4. Herbie Farnworth, 5. Selwyn Cobbo, 6. Ezra Mam, 7. Adam Reynolds (c), 8. Corey Jensen, 9. Billy Walters, 10. Payne Haas, 11. TC Robati, 12. Jordan Riki, 13. Patrick Carrigan. Interchange: 14. Cory Paix, 15. Kobe Hetherington, 16. Thomas Flegler, 17. Keenan Palasia. Reserves: 18. Delouise Hoeter, 19. Rhys Kennedy, 20. Jordan Pereira, 21. Brenko Lee, 22. Ryan James, 23. Xavier Willison, 24. Brendan Piakura.
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