THE push for reigning Dally M winger of the year Aku Uate to represent Australia in the Four Nations tournament is on in earnest, and influential figures in the game are determined to see him wear the green and gold as soon as possible.
The softly spoken Knights speedster was the talk of the State Theatre in Sydney on Tuesday night after collecting trophies as the NRL's best winger and top try-scorer.
Uate is not yet eligible to represent Australia because he played for Fiji at the Pacific Cup last October, but his management company SFX Sports has applied to the Rugby League International Federation on his behalf to switch his allegiances to Australia.
Uate's application still needs RLIF approval, but it is understood it will be looked on favourably in time for him to leapfrog Country and NSW selection and be fast-tracked to the Kangaroos.
The Newcastle Herald was told by several sources that Uate already has strong support from Australian selectors.
If cleared in time, it is understood he will play for the Prime Minister's XIII against Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby on September 26.
He would then be included in the Australian squad for the Four Nations in Australia and New Zealand in October and November.
The 2008 Fijian World Cup representative was named on Monday in the Prime Minister's XIII train-on squad.
That team will be announced next Monday.
"His management have put a consideration for change of election, so as not to disadvantage him, we've allowed the selectors to pick him [for the Prime Minister's XIII]," ARL chief executive Geoff Carr told The Herald on Monday.
"But whether there is a decision before the Four Nations series is out of my control. There's no guarantee they'll have a decision before then."
Unaware of the repercussions, Uate represented Fiji last year which means he is aligned to the Bati until the next World Cup, scheduled for 2013, unless the RLIF changes his status.
Fijian-born Uate is proud of his heritage but is eager to further his career by playing internationals for Australia and State of Origin matches for NSW.
‘‘I’m looking forward to that if they pick me, but whatever happens happens,’’ Uate said when asked about his chances of playing in the Prime Minister’s XIII.
‘‘It would make this year even better, the best thing to ever happen to me, but I just have to continue playing good football and improve again next year.’’
Standing on stage with other members of the Dally M team of the year, and congratulated by NRL pin-up players like Jarryd Hayne, Benji Marshall and Sam Burgess, Uate was living out a childhood dream on Tuesday night.
‘‘I’m excited about what I’ve achieved this year but I want to thank the whole team – all my teammates from Newcastle, the coaches, and all my family,’’ he said.
‘‘This is probably the most exciting night of my life. This is massive for me, standing here with all the legends and coaches and good players in the NRL. It’s the biggest night of my life.’’
Uate said Knights coach Rick Stone, and particularly assistant coach Craig Sandercock, had helped him become a more consistent, more complete player.
‘‘Sandy [Sandercock] has helped me throughout this year and I appreciate it, and I hope it keeps going next year. I’ve still got a lot to learn, but I’m really excited about this year,’’ he said.
‘‘I think we didn’t achieve our goal this year, playing finals, but it’s a learning process for everyone. We had some games this year that were all right but overall, I think we’ve learned heaps from this year and we’ve got to take it on board for next year and go even better.’’
Stone said there was a fine line between encouraging Uate and keeping his feet on the ground, but they have an off-season to keep the confident 22-year-old from outgrowing his boots.
‘‘Some of the things he can do are really, really special,’’ Stone said.
‘‘Some of the highlights reels we put together on Aku during the week, some of the tries that he scored, some of the things that he’s done, have been as good as anyone in the club or in the game in that particular position.
‘‘He’s only young, he’s still got plenty to learn, but he’s got a massive future in front of him.
‘‘It’s really impressive, considering where we finished on the table, for him to lead the try-scoring and win winger of the year.
‘‘You’ve always got plenty of talent in any position that you play in the NRL so it’s a massive rap and a massive honour for him, and it’s probably a massive rap for him understanding what he needed to do to be a professional footy player.
‘‘He took a little bit of time to learn a couple of things about what he needed to do and the consistency he needed in his preparation, but definitely the penny’s dropped for him.’’
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