The beauty of being young, James Slipper says, is you're always looking towards the next thing. Then he starts to grin.
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Because, as a 34-year-old prop about to stand alone as the most-capped Australian Super Rugby player of all time, he's of a different vintage - and "there's not too many 'next things'" to come.
Which is why he is embracing the extra attention ahead of his 178th Super Rugby appearance, even if it does make the ACT Brumbies veteran a little uncomfortable before a clash with the NSW Waratahs at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night.
"I'm kind of used to it now because last week the boys, especially at training, gave me a hard time," Slipper said.
"It's not something I'm comfortable with, but it's fun. I enjoy it all. I don't know if it's sunk in yet, but it's special to me because I never saw myself as a player who would play for over 10 years, and 10 years seems to be a good career in rugby.
"I don't know how I feel about it. It's one of those things I'll be able to sit back and tell the kids about, the good old days."
And given he has seen plenty of them, we sat down with Slipper for his take on the state of the union.
THE STATE OF SUPER RUGBY
Reports of the Melbourne Rebels folding like a bad hand and the Brumbies' financial struggles are impossible to escape.
But Slipper hopes there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A private consortium is open to pumping $30 million into the Rebels to keep the club alive, while the Brumbies are pushing for a home final and the Queensland Reds are nipping at the heels of the top four.
"You don't want to see any team fold. What we've seen over the rugby landscape, not just here in Australia but across the world, it's obviously a challenging time," Slipper said.
"For Super Rugby, we need our teams firing, we need our product firing, and the rugby on the field to be going well for us to grow the game. We've definitely got the players, we've got the cattle in the country, it's just a matter of holding onto them and getting the best out of them.
"Looking at the Reds and the Brumbies, we're doing it pretty well this year. That's only going to build. Ideally we get those Australian teams up the top, and consistently at the top."
THE SCHMIDT EFFECT
Slipper admits it "took me longer than I thought [it would] to move on" from last year's ill-fated World Cup campaign.
Eddie Jones' smash and grab mission turned into anything but before his defection to Japan, with Australia bowing out in the group stages for the first time in history.
"We talk about my career, there's obviously a lot of highs and good things that have happened, but there's also a lot of disappointing things. They go hand in hand, don't they," Slipper said.
But a new era under Joe Schmidt awaits - and Slipper is relishing the chance to play under the man who led Ireland to the top of world rugby's pecking order during a trophy-laden six-year stint.
"We've had a brief conversation, just walking past each other really. What I do know is he's probably the right man for the job, to settle things down for us," Slipper said.
"The excitement builds whenever a new coach comes in, and particularly this time more than any. After last year, it's a really important moment for Australian rugby with a new coach coming in, fresh eyes on the players playing Super Rugby and overseas.
"Joe has definitely got the backing of the rugby community, the players and the fans."
LEADING A COUNTRY
Slipper is eyeing a British and Irish Lions series for his international swansong - but his time captaining the Wallabies is done.
"My days of being captain are over. It's fair to say it's time for someone to stand up and take the national team forward," Slipper said.
"The first time I captained the Wallabies was in 2015, so we're going back quite a few years now. I've only done it a handful of times since then. It is special, no one will take that away from me, that I've been able to lead the country out in the gold jersey."