The form of Canberra second-rower Hudson Young hasn't just helped his Raiders surge into finals contention, but might have also earned him a trip to the Rugby League World Cup.
Young, 24, might have just moved from potential Kangaroos' 'bolter' into the 'likely' category with a scintillating month of football, scoring four tries in four games as the Raiders finally broke into the top eight.
Competition for spots in the back row will be hot - think Angus Crichton, Cam Murray, Jai Arrow and Kurt Capewell among others - but Young's match-winning potential and ability to find the line might be an X-factor the Kangaroos need as competition from Pacific nations heats up.
Pumping out career-high numbers in metres (93 per game), try assists (four), linebreaks (nine) and offloads (23) to go with the 11 tries that make him the NRL's second-highest scoring forward, Young admits he's in the form of his life.
"I haven't put a full season like this together before and I feel comfortable, and just want to keep going from strength to strength," Young told AAP.
"It's obviously a dream to represent your state or your country or anything like that, but that comes on the back of solid team performances.
"I wouldn't say I'm thinking about it before games or anything like that, but obviously it's always in the back of your head though."
While happy to admit his bias, Canberra coach Ricky Stuart says "footy nut" Young should form part of Mal Meninga's squad.
"If he keeps playing like this it's gonna be hard to hold him out," he told reporters.
"I know Mal's a fan of Hudson's, but he's been consistent all season.
"I've been so happy for him because he's just a footy nut. I'd love nothing more than for him to get his name read out at the end of the season."
If nothing else, Young has become a vital cog in the Canberra machine, twice scoring match-winning tries and consistently playing 80 minutes, having only come to the bench twice this campaign.
He's also put the NRL on notice, saying his Raiders aren't content with merely making the finals.
"It probably just comes down to my preparation - the way you train, the way you eat, the way you do everything in life," Young said.
"For me, it feels like it's starting to click on the field now.
"We're a team that others probably fear to play because of the style of footy we play. We're very unpredictable.
"When we get it right, you've seen what we can do."
