Gold Coast fullback Keano Kini was third choice No.1 at the start of 2024 but has capped an extraordinary season by winning the Titans' player-of-the-year award.
The 20-year-old Paul Broughton Medal winner is on the cusp of making his New Zealand Test debut in the Pacific Championships and is expected to be named in the Kiwis extended squad.
Titans captain and Kiwis veteran Kieran Foran has been vocal behind the scenes for Kini to play in the post-season Tests, and coach Stacey Jones will find it hard to leave him out.
"It would mean everything. I am still waiting and hoping (to be included)," Kini said.
"My dad and my family are all proud Kiwis. It is a dream of mine to pull on a Kiwi jersey. (Jones) is one of my dad’s all-time players and a legend of the game. It would be an honour to play under Stacey."
Foran, who played in last year's 30-0 win over Australia in the Pacific Championships final, will be unavailable due to planned ankle surgery.
Kini was in the squad last year but did not get on the field.
Such was his Titans club form this year Kini was preferred to Jayden Campbell at No.1 and kept Queensland representative AJ Brimson out of the fullback spot when he returned from an injury lay-off.
"To win this medal is something I never would have expected at the start of the year and I am extremely grateful. This really gives me a confidence boost going into next year," Kini said.
"AJ and JC (Campbell) have helped me a lot but I have still got a lot of work to do. AJ is going to come back firing and fit next year.
"My dad keeps reminding me that it is never your jersey. You have to earn it."
Kini only played 16 games this season but the pocket rocket made them count, averaging 212m per game. He twice broke the Titans' running metres record for a match with 344m in a 32-16 loss to St George Illawarra in round 24, breaking his own previous record mark of 321m in the 18-10 loss to Wests Tigers in round 15.
The Auckland-born dynamo, who only played two of the first nine games this year, had a brilliant second half of the season.
He finished on 19 player-of-the-year points ahead of centre Brian Kelly (16) and prop Moeaki Fotuaika (15).
In doing so he emulated club great Preston Campbell who was the only other Titans fullback to win the Paul Broughton Medal in 2008.
Kini stands at just 177cm and weighs 83kg. He has proved his childhood critics wrong.
"All I have been told growing up is that I am too small so if I can be someone to look up to for the smaller blokes coming through that would be good," he said.
