He may be the incumbent Kangaroos lock but Josh McGuire has surprisingly failed to crack the starting side of new NRL club North Queensland.
Cowboys coach Paul Green has raised eyebrows by naming the former Brisbane enforcer as an impact bench forward for Saturday's season opener against St George Illawarra.
Green kept the faith with former Dally M Medallist Jason Taumalolo at lock, ensuring McGuire will start an NRL game on the interchange for the first time in almost six years.
North Queensland's other high profile recruits - fullback Jordan Kahu, fellow ex-Bronco Tom Opacic and former St George Illawarra flyer Nene Macdonald - will all start against the Dragons.
Yet Green couldn't find room in his top 13 for 194 NRL game veteran McGuire - not that he was losing any sleep over it.
Green reckoned where McGuire started didn't matter - he still expected the Queensland No.13 to make a big impact this weekend.
"Sometimes people get a bit tied up particularly through the forwards about whether you start them or whether you come off the bench," Green said.
"We need to start well as a team and as a club and I've picked the team on form and I've got to be consistent with that.
"But the impact and contribution he will make will be as much as if not more than the other guys."
It remains to be seen how McGuire is rotated through the Cowboys forwards - but just don't expect to see him chiming in at hooker.
McGuire has worn the No.9 jersey internationally, playing at dummy-half for Samoa.
But Green laughed off the suggestion the ex-Bronco could give rake Jake Granville a breather against the Dragons, backing his hooker to play the full 80 minutes.
"He has mentioned that (he has played hooker) to me," Green said of McGuire.
"If we are looking at playing him at hooker we have probably copped an injury or two. That's not part of my plan at this stage."
Meanwhile, Green backed Te Maire Martin over young gun Jake Clifford to partner new captain Michael Morgan in the halves.
"I think Jake's progressing nicely but he's still just got to get a bit more consistency at NRL level but there's not much between them so it's good healthy competition," Green said.
