You wouldn't know it from his performances on the field, but rookie prop Andrew Fifita has been carrying a heavy heart through Australia's Rugby League World Cup campaign.
Feelings of excitement at getting a first taste of the international stage have been mixed with sadness at being thousands of kilometres away from newly wed wife Nikkita and 11-month old son Latu Jay.
Fifita, who was married last month and delayed his honeymoon after earning Kangaroos selection, has been counting down the days until his family arrive in the UK later this week, revealing he'd found it difficult to cope in his first three weeks on tour.
"I'm having big troubles homesickness-wise," the 24-year-old said after an impressive performance in the 50-0 win over Ireland in Limerick.
"It's a long trip. I've come straight from my wedding and I'm meant to be on the honeymoon stage.
"I have never felt this before, the feelings I have for my son. I'm missing him so much.
"... These days, you can speak and Skype and FaceTime but it makes you miss them even more because you see them through a screen.
"Your heart goes out because you can't hug or give them a kiss."
Fifita's wife and son arrive in England on Thursday but he's unlikely to see them until the Kangaroos travel to London next week for the semi-finals.
The Cronulla prop's family are travelling to the UK so he can celebrate his son's first birthday on November 20.
Fifita says his stable home life and becoming a father are behind his incredible achievements with club, state and country in 2013.
The NSW forward's strong performances off the bench in Australia's opening three World Cup matches look to have sealed his spot in Tim Sheens' best 17 for the knockout stages.
Fifita made a whopping 173 metres and scored his first try for Australia in a 37-minute contribution against Ireland and revealed his wife played a role in firing him up for a big performance.
"I told the missus before (the match) I needed to pull my finger out because I didn't think I was playing that good," Fifita said.
"She said 'grab the ball and go hard'.
"... My debut and the second game I played, I thought I did make a good impact but wasn't as good.
"I think I went out a bit cocky in the first game and they put me on my back.
"I said I need to run harder and, the next one, I did."
Fifita hopes another strong performance in Saturday's quarter-final against the US could lead to a berth in the semi-finals at Wembley in a fortnight.
"It'll be the best opportunity for me to play in front of my family," he said.
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