This Saturday's All Stars clash will be Esan Marsters' fourth; and his excitement to wear the Maori jersey has not wavered since his maiden appearance in 2019.
Scoring on debut at AAMI Park in his first chance to represent his heritage - making his experience even more memorable - the 25-year-old back knows how special the week is for his cultural identity, and is particularly excited for teammate Erin Clark who got his initial All Stars call-up for this year's clash.
'Coming together as a collective is most important' - Marsters
"It’s always a good feeling being selected to play in the All Stars, representing your family and your culture and where you’re from," Marsters said.
"I guess for new guys like Erin who is making his debut in the All Stars, it’s going to be exciting for him and I’m excited. He's had a really good pre-season and he’s going to be looking forward to the challenge.
"I really he does a haka for us today in our team meeting."
Born in Auckland and of Cook Island and Maori descent, the Titans centre feels the best part of the experience is immersing himself in his culture and identity, before getting the opportunity to run out and put all the pre-season work to the test in the first game of 2022.
"I think [it's about] soaking up the atmosphere across the week and having guys who want to learn about their culture be around you," the Kiwi International said.
"Coming together as a collective and being one is the most important part, not just for us, but for the Indigenous side as well.
"I guess going into the game, it’s going to be a massive game, not just for the Maoris but for the Indigenous players too.
"I think throughout the week, that’s where you learn all the culture stuff, but then when it comes to the footy, that’s the most important part of what we do.
"It’s another trial for us to show the coaches what we can do and how we perform out there, so I think for us, being able to get out there and show what we do and push for Round 1 spots is massive."
The All Stars experience has allowed the Mount Albert Lions junior to not only grow as a player, but as a person overall given the influence around him during the camps.
"I’ve been lucky enough to be on these camps a couple of times and I think you do grow as a player and a person," Marsters said.
"The players that are out there are all special and we're lucky to showcase our talent against some of the best players in the game right now.
"For us as proud Indigenous people, it’s good to get out there and just play some footy against each other and some of the guys I’m going to play against on the weekend are here too.
"It’s just a massive weekend for all cultures and I’m really going to get stuck in."
Away from All Stars duties as Marsters prepares for his sixth NRL season, the 81-game back is excited to see Tino Fa'asuamaleaui named Titans skipper and lead the side in the new year, especially for the crop of young talent coming through the ranks on the Coast.
"For our young guys, he’s pretty vocal and gets across what he wants to say. He’s been massive for a lot of the young guys throughout the season and it’s always good to have him out there beside you," Marsters said.
"He does the hard work off the field as well. It’s good for the club, especially on the rise."
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