Wests Tigers star James Tedesco has set himself the bold target of unseating Kangaroos fullback Darius Boyd as the premier No.1 in the NRL.
Tedesco kicked off 2017 with a bang last week, picking up where he left off last year with another outstanding effort in the Tigers' round-one rout of South Sydney.
But ahead of Sunday's clash with fullback rival Matt Moylan's Penrith outfit, Tedesco wasn't afraid of declaring what his goals are for the rest of the year.
"If I can keep myself on the field and keep the body fresh, I can stamp myself as one of those players," Tedesco said after training on Thursday.
"Obviously Darius Boyd is the top fullback in the game at the moment.
"But that's the spot I want to be and I think if I can keep building off the game from last weekend and keep playing some good footy, then hopefully I can get up towards his honour."
The 24-year-old also revealed he had played last week's game under some duress, with a stomach bug resulting in him vomiting after the game.
Tedesco scored a try and set up another against the Rabbitohs before finishing with the eye-catching stats of 174 metres, 11 tackle breaks and three line-break assists.
"I said at half-time, me and (David Nofoaluma) were sitting there and our stomachs didn't feel too well. I don't know what we had before the game, maybe some protein," he said.
"It just hit me in the last five or so minutes. I was struggling. But lucky we were in front so we didn't have to worry too much. Hopefully I can do better on a normal stomach this week."
Tedesco also believes he can reach another level should fellow young stars Mitchell Moses and Luke Brooks elevate their game another notch as well this year.
Moses enjoyed a breakout season in 2016, however Brooks had a quiet campaign.
"Everyone forgets how young they are, they're still 22 years of age. They've had a few years in first grade now, they're starting to show that leadership and maturity around the field," he said.
"For those two, this year is going to be their best year together and it helps me and the boys just to play off the back of them. I'm really looking forward to it."
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