Benaiah Ioelu is preparing for the possibility of starting at hooker for the Sydney Roosters in Sunday's grand final, which would be his 18th NRL appearance.
The 22-year-old academy graduate made his debut last year after moving from Auckland to join the Roosters as a teenager.
"It's hard to put it into words, you always play the image in your mind as a little kid," Ioelu told AAP.
"Being here this week and this moment, you're just super grateful for the opportunity that you've been given."
Ioelu said he was aiming to stay composed and keep his role simple, with experienced teammates able to create opportunities.
His selection depends on Connor Watson's availability after Watson suffered a concussion in the Roosters' preliminary-final victory over the Dolphins.
Watson will see an independent neurologist on Thursday in a final attempt to be cleared for what could be his last game as a Rooster.
NRL rules require an 11-day stand-down for a category-one concussion, the diagnosis Watson received.
The concussion was initially assessed as category two, which carries no mandatory stand-down, before being upgraded to category one; the Roosters are appealing the change.