One week from now Cameron Munster will be living a boyhood dream.
The 22-year-old will run out for the 2017 State of Origin decider in what is expected to be a sold-out crowd at Suncorp Stadium.
It will be the culmination of the rapid rise Munster has experienced since bursting onto the scene in 2015.
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Back then he was the kid Craig Bellamy asked to fill the shoes of arguably the game's greatest ever fullback.
Munster not only accepted the responsibility but thrived in it.
Now with 57 NRL games to his name he is once again ready to embrace the moment.
After his selection was confirmed, Munster admits one of the first to call his phone was Bellamy.
“He congratulated me straight away the next day, he was pretty proud of me,” Munster said.
“He is very proud of me but in saying that I’ve got to thank those coaches for as well. Adam O’Brien has worked tirelessly with me on my attack and Jason Ryles has helped me with my defence.
“They have done a lot of hard work with me and I am just really thankful that the Club has helped me become a better player.”
Growing up in Rockhampton, junior representative sides never quite came calling for Munster.
Instead he worked hard in the background, developing his game until eventually he was simply impossible to ignore.
“I think the furthest I went was playing for Rockhampton in high school so didn’t really get picked anywhere,” Munster said.
“It made me that little bit more hungry I guess, watching all the other kids make their childhood dreams and I really wanted to do that.
“I wanted to push myself that little bit harder and I’m very lucky to be here today.”
