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Isaah Yeo simply wanted to play 12 NRL games when he grew up. Now, he has the chance to cement his place as one of the sport's all-time greats.
Having made his debut in 2014, Yeo quickly achieved his goal of surpassing his dad's career first-grade games total and he hasn't looked back.
The 30-year-old has claimed just about every team and individual accolade on offer throughout a decorated career. A four-time NRL premiership winner, Yeo has also tasted World Cup and State of Origin success, captained his country and is the reigning Golden Boot winner.
Now, the veteran is preparing to lead the Westpac NSW Blues out for the first time in Wednesday's State of Origin series opener in Brisbane.
Yeo was instrumental in NSW's success last year and captaining the side to a title defence could be his crowning glory as a player. Not that you'd know it by chatting to the quiet family man.
A hard-working country boy from Dubbo, the concept of resume building hasn't even crossed his mind.
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Proud Cleary praises record-breaker Yeo
"I'm just doing what I love," Yeo said. "It's all I've wanted to do since I was a kid so these last five or six years have gone above my wildest dreams.
"Whether it's the premierships of just playing for NSW and Australia, I've been able to captain Australia, it's just crazy. If you would have asked me this as a kid if that's what I would have been able to do, I would have called you crazy.
"I just wanted to play 12 NRL games, one more than dad. Now I've gone on to everything that's happened in the last five years, it's exceeded all my expectations.
"I'm loving the ride at the moment, I don't think too much in the past, I don't think in the future, I'm just loving it at the moment and that's held me in good stead so far."
Yeo may be slightly uncomfortable discussing his status as one of the game's greats, but his NSW and Penrith teammates have no such hesitation.
Having made his NRL debut in 2014, Yeo was a member of the original wave of players from Western NSW to find a home at the foot of the mountains.
The veteran helped mentor a host of stars and was a figure to look up to when the likes of Liam Martin, Brian To'o and Dylan Edwards broke into the top flight.
The trio later joined Yeo in the Origin arena and all played a key role in last year's series victory.
Having witnessed firsthand the influence Yeo has had at Penrith, NSW and the Kangaroos, Martin has no hesitation in declaring the forward will retire as one of the greatest locks of all time.
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2024 Golden Boot Winner: Isaah Yeo
"Absolutely he'll be up there, if not the best lock of all time," Martin said. "What he's done the last five, six years is nothing short of amazing. He's getting older now but he's just getting better with age. He's ageing like a fine wine and doesn't look like slowing down.
"It's pretty incredible to play alongside him and he will be a player that I'll tell my kids and grandkids that I got to play with so it's pretty special."
Yeo's exploits have transcended generations, with a host of former stars quick to praise the NSW skipper.
Panthers and Blues legend Mark Geyer has had the chance to watch the forward progress through the Penrith pathway and grow from a wide-eyed rookie in 2014 to a four-time premiership winner.
It's a journey, he said, that's nothing short of incredible and leading the Blues to a series win would be the icing on the cake.
"He's already one of the greats of the game," Geyer told NRL.com. "He's an immortal in waiting.
"Along with Nathan Cleary, they've been so good in the last four years for Penrith and throw in Liam Martin and Brian To'o, there's no wonder they're all in this Origin team because they're all fantastic players and fantastic men.
"For Isaah, what a moment to be named captain. He reckons it was the best phone call he ever got from Laurie Daley telling him he's the captain. When you know you're the boss of your state, it's a mad accolade to have and he'll flourish because of it.
"I think he'll get man of the series, he's in the prime of his career and he's just getting better."
Yeo's influence has extended beyond his Penrith teammates, with players from other clubs quickly identifying the qualities that make him great.
Raiders and NSW forward Hudson Young had the chance to spend a month in camp with the veteran during the Kangaroos' Pacific Championships campaign last year, with Yeo claiming the Golden Boot after leading the side through an undefeated tournament.
Young credits the skipper for teaching him a handful of minor tweaks that have had a major impact on the field and has enjoyed the chance to reconnect in NSW camp.
"Hanging around him for a month was really enjoyable and I tried to take that back to clubland and now into Origin," Young told NRL.com.
"I just learnt about preparation and how to nail that with my training standards. Those lessons come out of these camps and being able to rub shoulders with the best players in the world so it's only natural that development's going to happen."
Yeo is proud to have made an impact on his teammates and enjoys leading by example no matter the environment.
Individual accolades are nice but team success is what ultimately brings the veteran happiness.
So it goes without saying that Yeo's goal is to lift the State of Origin shield at Accor Stadium in six weeks' time.
Match: Maroons v Blues
Game 1 -
home Team
Maroons
away Team
Blues
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Plenty needs to happen for that dream to become a reality and the skipper is simply focused on kicking off the series with a victory in Brisbane next week.
"[Winning a series] is not something to just tick off [the resume] because I know how much State of Origin means to myself, the players and our state," Yeo said. "To be able to lift the shield is something any captain wants to do.
"It would be the ultimate privilege but there's so much hard work to do between now and then that there's no point thinking about it or giving it energy, it's not worth it."