NIC White talks about going "full circle".
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Wanting to end up playing for junior club the Maitland Blacks, whose headquarters at Marcellin Park are just a few kilometres away from his new house in Bolwarra.
Wanting to maintain a tight grip on the Wallabies No.9 jersey, having earned it back after travelling to the other side of the world five years ago and thinking "that ship had sailed".
And wanting to deliver a performance family and friends will be "proud of" when representing his country in the same region he was born and bred, after watching the historic first rugby Test in Newcastle from the stands in 2012.
Australia host Argentina at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night as part of this year's Tri Nations series.
Hunter product White will be soaking up every minute at "home".
It's something special. It's something I never thought would happen playing a Test at home."
- Nic White
"It's something special. It's something I never thought would happen playing a Test at home," White told the Newcastle Herald.
"A lot of guys from other areas like Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne have all played where they consider home, but I've never really had that. Earlier this year I circled when the Brumbies [his Super AU team] were playing the Force here thinking I'd never played in Newcastle before, but it got moved and never came to fruition.
"Then having Wallabies camp up here [Cessnock and Pokolbin] was exciting enough but to have a game on top of that is unbelievable.
"So a lot of my motivation has been making sure I'm fit and able to play this game. Running out there on the weekend and playing where I'm from."
Tickets, capped at around 12,000 because of COVID-19 restrictions, were officially sold out according to an announcement from Rugby Australia on Friday.
Growing up in Scone before moving along the New England Highway to Maitland for high school, White will no doubt recognise quite a few faces in the crowd.
Most notably wife Mel and their sons Leo and Sonny, parents Tom and Di, as well as his four sisters, brothers-in-law, nephews and a neice.
Outside of a coronavirus-affected year, "it's not every day" they have all been able to get together and watch one his 35 Test matches in person.
White did his senior high school at St Gregory's in Campbelltown before joining the Brumbies in Canberra in 2008 and made his international debut five years later.
However, after narrowly missing World Cup selection for 2015, he headed overseas to French side Montpellier before signing with English club Exeter.
An unexpected call last year saw him back in national colours for the 2019 World Cup and now, having competed against the likes of Will Genia and Nick Phipps previously, White is the main-choice halfback under new coach Dave Rennie.
"For a long time I'd thought that ship had sailed," he said.
"I made the decision in 2015 to head overseas and at the time I thought it came at the expense of probably never playing for my country again.
"I feel very lucky to be given the opportunity to come back. To be honest there are times when I pinch myself. Now I've spent years being out of the system, every day I make the most of it.
"I guess it's the age-old saying you don't know what its got until its gone so I'm certainly not taking anything for granted at the moment.
"I'm just giving it everything, because it can all go pretty quickly."
His second coming in the Wallabies squad has followed a rollercoaster year - featuring pandemic lockdown in the UK, welcoming a newborn, hotel quarantine upon arrival in Sydney and a whirlwind Super AU title-winning campaign for the Brumbies.
His performances in a condensed 2020 Tri Nations tournament have been quite consistent and helped provide a stable base for the Aussies to build from.
In a season that threatened not to go ahead, the Wallabies have produced a win, loss and draw in three encounters against the All Blacks ahead of meeting the Pumas.
The 30-year-old has reclaiming the Bledisloe Cup on top of his career bucket list, along with a World Cup in 2023 "if I'm still going well enough by then" and the current Tri Nations crown.
He also feels like he now has a bit more to offer off the field.
"I feel like I've got a lot more to offer Australian rugby," he said.
"There's a lot of young talent here and I've been around the world playing games in all countries now. I feel like I'm pretty well rounded and have a fair bit of knowledge."
As for his post professional days, White would like to end up with the Blacks.
"I'd love to go full circle. I think [former Maitland player, coach] Tim O'Toole has a contract signed on the back of a napkin somewhere sayig I'd come back and play one day," he said.
With eldest boy Leo already "loving" the code he might not have a choice.
As for Saturday, it's about "getting a job done" albeit in some strangely familiar surroundings.
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