Akuila Uate has no hard feelings over his representative snubbing for Australia and NSW but the Fijian flyer would still like to prove a point at the Rugby League World Cup.
The Newcastle NRL winger has already made a spectacular start to the tournament, scoring a hat-trick in Fiji’s opening win over Ireland on Monday.
He hopes to keep that form going in St Helens on Saturday when he faces Australia, the nation he has represented five times.
The 26-year-old has also played five State of Origin games for NSW but was overlooked for both the Blues and Kangaroos in 2013.
While his sole focus is with the Bati, Uate hopes a big World Cup could serve as a reminder of his abilities at representative level.
Asked if he hoped to play for Australia again, Uate told AAP: “We’ll see what happens as the years go by but I definitely want to play for NSW again, that’s for sure.
“I’m not angry … I’m not cussing anyone. I’m here to play footy and play for Fiji.
“Even though I didn’t get in for Australia and the Origin this year, that’s in the past now.
“I just want to go forward and keep playing good footy.
“I’m in the Fiji team now, we’re here for a reason and I’m looking forward to this game on Saturday.”
Aside from the obvious challenge of facing Tim Sheens’ tournament favourites, Fiji must also overcome a short turnaround with two days less than the Kangaroos to recover.
The Bati have never come within 50 points of Australia but Uate is confident a side brimming with NRL talent can put in a much-improved performance.
“Our aim is just to compete with them and never give up,” Uate said.
“It doesn’t really matter what the score is. We’ve just got to give it our best and the boys are looking forward to the challenge.”