He was a 14-year-old boy sitting in the stands when Wendell Sailor used the corner post as a didgeridoo in 2010, so Brian Kelly is understandably excited about the prospect of a first Indigenous All Stars selection.
The Indigenous and Maori All Stars teams to vie for the Arthur Beetson Trophy in the Harvey Norman All Stars match in Melbourne on February 15 will be announced on Thursday night with Kelly in line to be among a host of Gold Coast players chosen.
Due to recent shoulder surgery, halfback Ash Taylor will spend time in camp with the Indigenous team but not play. That still leaves the likes of Ryan James, Tyrone Peachey, Tyrone Roberts, Brenko Lee, Nathan Peats, Moeaki Fotuaika and Kevin Proctor vying for selection.
A proud representative of the Cabbage Tree Island team that contests the Koori Knockout each year, Kelly will attend the NRL Indigenous players camp for the first time and said the opportunity to make a maiden All Stars appearance would be a proud moment in his career.
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"Hopefully, Mum and Dad have been having a vote," Kelly said of the fan voting that closed on Wednesday.
"I'm excited to get amongst the boys at the Indigenous camp the week before, really looking forward to that.
"I remember when Preston Campbell brought the first one in and Wendell Sailor scored in the corner, I was only a junior then.
"Just to represent my family and friends from the Northern Rivers area down near Ballina would mean a lot.
"As a proud Aboriginal boy I'd love to be named in the team but I’m just excited to be around the camp anyway."
Hopefully Mum and Dad have been having a vote
Titans centre Brian Kelly
Returning to the Gold Coast after two years at Manly, Kelly had to first convince Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler to grant him a release from the club where he made his NRL debut and played 47 top-grade games.
As the training intensity lifts with a view to the first of the club’s trials on the Sunshine Coast on February 23, Kelly is locked in four-way battle for the two centre spots.
Lee, Peachey and Dale Copley have claims on a starting position but the 22-year-old hopes he can do enough over the next month to convince coach Garth Brennan he deserves one of the spots on offer.
"Hopefully I can get a starting position but at the moment there's a lot of backs fighting for those positions," said Kelly, who was a star NYC player with the Titans and scored four tries for the NSW under 20s in 2015.
"I can play left or right so wherever there’s a spot, I don’t really mind.
"I trained a bit on the left at the start [of pre-season] and then after the Christmas break a bit on the right. Just mixing it up."
