Corey Norman, despite his obvious talent, has never been invited to one of those Emerging Maroons camps.
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If, in a decade's time, the snub continues and he never wears a senior representative jersey, how will the then 35-year-old-Norman reflect on his time?
"I would be disappointed in myself that I have cruised along in my career," Norman said.
"That's one of the big things Brad [Arthur] in the last two years has said - do you want to be a player who has cruised through his career and been good here and there, or do you want to play in rep sides?"
The answer is Norman wants to be there.
The Parramatta pivot speaks without an ounce of entitlement, at ease with his place in a Maroons pecking order that includes the likes of Johnathan Thurston, Cooper Cronk, Michael Morgan, Daly Cherry-Evans, Ben Hunt and Anthony Milford.
That he has never spent time on Fourex Island as part of Origin preparations is one thing, but to not even be on the periphery via emerging squads is another.
By his own admission, Norman was in cruise control at times during his stint at Red Hill, knowing others would take up the slack when required.
"That was probably my nature, I was a bit laid back," he said.
"Fresh at the Broncos with all those great players I probably sat back. I am not using that as an excuse. I guess I was a bit rat's back then.
"Now with someone pushing me and pushing me, it's good. When you have that many players around you, it should make you play better. Sometimes you would turn up and away look at all these great players around you, you can maybe not have the best night and they can cover you.
"I guess that's just a part of maturing. I was probably too laid back. I probably wasn't hard enough on myself. It's a bit disappointing looking back. I am definitely a lot harder on myself these days."
Now, Norman is the player the younger Eels are looking to when the game is on the line.
The 25-year-old has formed one of the best halves combinations in the NRL alongside Kieran Foran and the duo have played a big part in the club's resurgence.
Norman is also one of the biggest names on the open market, although it's likely he will wait for the outcome of the investigation into the alleged cap rorts at Parramatta before determining his future.
Arthur has previously made the comment that there is little his coaching staff can teach Norman about football. However, the Eels mentor is given credit for helping him mature off the field.
Asked if he needed a kick up the backside, Norman said: "I'm not going to lie, I do. I could just sit back and be a bit 'oh yeah', a bit 'rats'.
"I've really enjoyed Brad pushing me and making me be a bit more responsible, mature a bit more and take a bit more ownership of this team.
"He's pushing for it every day, he's trying to make me grow every day. When you get older you get a bit wiser and smarter … It's little stuff, preparation outside of football. At home, getting into routines, little stuff like that. I'm taking it on board."
Having played at representative level in the junior ranks alongside some of the game's biggest stars, Norman believes he could handle the step up if given a chance at senior level.
"I'd love to play rep footy," he said. "But the thing is that stuff doesn't get to me, you can't think about it too much. I just want to play good, consistent footy for Parra, I want Parra to go well."
