It's a phone call an NRL player never forgets.
And David Fifita will no doubt always remember when Kevin Walters rang to tell him he'd been picked to make his State of Origin debut after the hilarious way the Queensland coach broke the news to the 19-year-old.
Fifita will make history as the first player born in the 2000s to play Origin after Walters picked the Brisbane forward as one of three rookies in his Maroons squad for the June 5 series opener at Suncorp Stadium.
But the way a cheeky Walters revealed the selection to Fifita will no doubt also go down in Origin folklore.
"I rang him and told him he had made the Queensland under 18 team," Walters said on Monday.
"He said, 'No, I am too old for that.'
"I said, 'Well you better come and play Origin then.'"
Walters took a more conventional approach when notifying fellow debutants, Broncos forward Joe Ofahengaue and Wests Tigers utility Moses Mbye.
It had mixed results.
Walters said 25-year-old Tigers skipper Mbye choked back tears.
In contrast, a wary Ofahengaue, 23, hung up thinking it was a prank by mischievous former Broncos captain Allan Langer.
"Joe thought I was lying," Walters said. "He said, 'Is Alfie with you?'
"He hung up but rang me back and said, 'Wow I can't believe this.'"
Despite their different responses, Walters expects the same thing from the rookies when they come off the Maroons bench next week.
"They will repay their selection choice with an outstanding performance," Walters boldly declared.
"We couldn't leave them out. They forced their way into the team."
Fifita earned his opportunity after 22 NRL games. This time last year he was playing Mal Meninga Cup under 18s.
But Walters is convinced the Broncos powerhouse is ready.
"The intensity and aggression he plays with is something that stood out," he said.
"Did you see the game (two weeks ago) against the Sydney Roosters when he came on?
"The Roosters are one of the most physical sides in the competition and he stood up to them - that typifies what this side is about."
Walters was just as excited about the debuts of Mbye and Ofahengaue.
"Moses plays a number of positions and that is vital in Origin," he said.
"And Joe was knocking on the door last year for game three. This time we couldn't leave him out of the side."
