North Queensland Cowboys forward Heilum Luki has declared he is finally feeling "back to normal" physically as the in-form edge forward pushes his case for a maiden Queensland State of Origin debut.
After enduring multiple injury setbacks across recent seasons, Luki's strong return to NRL football in 2026 has him emerging as a genuine contender ahead of next week's Maroons squad selection.
While the 25-year-old revealed he has not yet spoken with Queensland coach Billy Slater, representative football remains firmly in his sights after previously getting a taste of the Origin environment.
"Well, I'd love to get through the season," Luki said.
"Obviously, you go through and play rep footy. I always had that in mind.
"I got a taste of it a couple of years ago and to be a part of the Origin squad. So it's definitely on the list.
"I just want to keep focusing on my game, obviously I've got a few things to work on, so I'm just going to try and keep building each week."
Luki's rise back into the representative conversation comes after a frustrating run with injuries threatened to stall the highly-rated forward's development during the early stages of his career.
However, after stringing together an extended run of games this season, the Cowboys back-rower said he has regained confidence both physically and mentally.
"I'm confident in myself and my body now that I can play 80 minutes every week," he said.
"I've got a fair few games under my belt now and I've gained a lot of confidence in my knee and my body.
"I'm looking forward to the rest of the season and yeah, I am confident."
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When asked whether he was finally feeling the healthiest he has in years, Luki admitted he believes he has now fully moved past the setbacks that interrupted his momentum.
"Yeah, I'd say I'm back to normal," he said.
The powerful edge forward has long been viewed as one of North Queensland's most naturally gifted young forwards, but repeated rehabilitation periods forced him to spend extended time away from the field while many of his peers continued developing at NRL level.
Luki revealed teammate Tom Chester played an important role in helping him through the mental challenges of rehabilitation, with the pair recovering from ACL injuries at similar times.
"I guess me and Tommy were in the same sort of boat together, both did our ACLs at the same time," Luki said.
"I guess we sort of leaned on each other a fair bit throughout the whole rehab process.
"We both like to fish, so a lot of the time in our spare time, we just found ourselves fishing together.
"It gave us a bit of an opportunity to take our mind away from footy."
Now back playing consistent football and building confidence each week, Luki's form has him firmly in the frame for a potential Maroons debut as Queensland prepares to finalise its squad for Origin I.