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Having made the journey from Blacko in Lancashire to the bright lights of Brisbane, England's Herbie Farnworth has emerged as an NRL star in Australia.
As arguably the best centre in the world, he is also the "cheat code" England hope can help deliver a first Ashes series victory over the Kangaroos since 1970.
Farnworth is one of six men in Shaun Wane's England squad who play in Australia's premier competition.
And his abilities cannot be underestimated, even as former Australia forward Aaron Woods and other pundits from outside the UK have provided fuel for Wane's squad with withering comments about their quality.
A key member of the side who reached the World Cup semi-final in 2022, Farnworth was named as one of the two Dally M centres of the year in both 2023 and 2024 and was instrumental in England's 2-0 win over Samoa 12 months ago - scoring three tries and emerging as the series' top metre maker.
During 2025, Farnworth exhibited his class for the Dolphins, as he crossed for 12 tries in 19 appearances until a hamstring injury ended his season in early August and affected the Queensland side's push for the finals.
Wane has repeatedly referred to him as "one of the best centres in the world", a view endorsed by England captain George Williams, who looks set to be a club-mate of Farnworth's in the near future.
"Herbie is unbelievable," said the England stand-off. "He is one of the best players in the world at the minute. He is a cheat code playing in the NRL so we welcome him into our team with open arms.
"He creates something from nothing. He's a good lad too, who I have known for a long time. He kills it in the NRL.
"In the last series we played against Samoa, it was like he was playing a different game to anyone else. He was just running through like he was playing under-sevens."
Gold Coast Titans back AJ Brimson, who is a newcomer to Wane's squad added: "In my opinion, he was the best centre [in the NRL] this year.
"He has been the Dally M centre the last two years and missed out this year by a smidge and I thought this was his best year at centre. He's in fine form and is someone I am looking forward to playing with."
The 25-year-old's rise to prominence is well documented.
Once on the books of Manchester United, he was courted by Burnley and Manchester City as a promising young footballer.
Instead he devoted himself to rugby league and under the tutelage of his uncle, the former Wigan scout Brian Foley, he excelled as a junior for Wigan St Patricks before leaving his Lancashire home, aged 17, to pursue his dream 10,000 miles away.
Signed by Brisbane Broncos, he made his NRL debut in 2019, and was a part of the team who reached the 2023 Grand Final before switching to their local rivals the Dolphins - the NRL's 17th franchise - for 2024.
Despite carrying a status to rival England's star-studded opponents and being the man many believe will illuminate the series, he remains modest and in touch with his roots.
"I keep trying to get better each year and I like to think I've done that over the time I've had in the NRL and it is just the same in this camp too," Farnworth said.
"I am going to learn a lot from the boys in Super League. We have some great footballers. We've got a really strong bond as a team and we're planning on doing something special.
"I play against them [Australia's players] week in and week out and they are very talented players, but they are just men. There is nothing superhuman about them. I love playing the Aussies and am keen to get stuck into them at Wembley."
Farnworth's remit this time around has also included looking after Brimson, who switched his international allegiance from Australia to England in May.
The full-back's two brothers were born in Chertsey and he has often visited England's south coast for family holidays, with his mum hailing from London. And so Farnworth joked that he wanted to show him a little bit of northern culture.
"I took AJ to Greggs. We were walking around Manchester city centre and he was a bit hungry so I thought I'd show him a bit of culture," said Farnworth.
With England based just outside Manchester for most of the three-Test series, Farnworth has been able to enjoy home comforts.
"I've been up Pendle Hill. It's a boost to see all my family and friends again because I don't get to see them too often," Farnworth said.
"When I do, it is very special and having them watch me play is a rare occasion, so it makes it even better for me.
"They will be coming to all three games. Whenever I go home it feels like I have not left. It's a very close-knit village and everyone knows me and the family."
But his friends have called him out over a slight Queensland twang to his accent.
"You pick up the twang [in Australia]," he said.
"It's the little slang words I have lost from over here but once I'm around the English boys, it comes back pretty quick. In Australia, I get slated for being English, then when I come back home, my mates slag me for being an Aussie. I can't win."
With a record crowd for an Ashes Test of about 60,000 expected at Wembley on Saturday, the magnitude of the occasion - a first Test series against Australia since 2003 - is not lost on Farnworth.
"I might not get to play in one again. If it is every 20 years, it makes it very, very special. It is everything," he added.
"I have got a lot of bets riding on it with team-mates at the Dolphins, so I am going to be poor if I go back and we have lost."
