Jarryd Hayne says State of Origin takes you to places you've never been before - to hell and back.
Imagine then how tough life in America has been for the Blues legend, who has likened his first four months as an NFL player as State of Origin on a weekly basis.
On the eve of his third NFL trial against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium on Saturday night (Sunday 11am AEST), Hayne has opened up about what life as a San Francisco 49er has been like.
The charter flights, the five-star hotels, the state-of-the-art facilities and of course, that American sporting culture he has longed to experience.
"It is pretty crazy," Hayne said. "It's pretty much like State of Origin every week. I think to put it in a nutshell, that's basically what it is.
"Everywhere we go we're getting police escorted, every session is intense, every video session is intense. It's one of those things where everything is critiqued. It does remind me of State of Origin, but just every week."
Hayne's attachment to Origin football is as strong as any who has worn the sky blue in recent years, hence his desire to be part of camp ahead of game three this year during his pre-season break from the 49ers.
Hayne wrote about his Origin playing experience in a column for Fairfax Media in May: "All feeling in my legs were lost. Nothing in my body was functioning. It felt like I was moving with my head. This is hell," I remember thinking to myself. "This is literally hell".
Now in his NFL campaign Hayne finds himself on the brink of achieving what once seemed like an impossible dream - a berth on the Niners' 53-man roster.
Most people can remember the moment they felt a part of something special, when they felt they belonged.
For Hayne, that hasn't happened yet.
As he waltzed around the Broncos practice facility on Thursday in the company of one NFL's all-time greats, Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, Hayne wasn't allowing himself to appreciate the magnitude of what was right in front of him.
"Stay low 38," he heard a yell come from a Broncos safety, who was well aware of the fascinating story of the 27-year-old from Australia making a mark in the US.
But how can Hayne not sit back in wonder at the fact he put his name up in lights against the iconic Dallas Cowboys franchise a week ago and is now running around the field with legends of the game?
The truth is Hayne doesn't feel he belongs in such company.
Australia recognised him for what he'd become - an NFL player - after his stunning debut against the Houston Texans a fortnight ago, which was confirmed in another impressive showing against the Cowboys last weekend.
But Hayne says he still hasn't earned the right to consider himself an NFL footballer
"It hasn't happened yet," Hayne said when asked to reflect on the moment he felt he belonged.
"I'm still learning. Still fresh. Only been training for three or four months, so it's all learning every day, making mistakes and learning from my mistakes.
"I don't think you ever get to a point where you're comfortable. You have to be doing it for a long, long time. Like I said I've only been doing it for four months."
As revealed by Fairfax Media in April, Hayne wasn't prepared for what was ahead of him when he quit the NRL to chase his American dream. He admitted that if he knew the challenges he would face, he never would have left.
He again spoke about the difficulties adjusting to the sport, saying everything in the first couple of weeks was going in one ear and out the other.
"Probably the first two weeks, I was like, 'What's going on?'," Hayne said.
"Everything was in one ear, out the other. There was so much going on and I think anyone who's been coached by Tom Rathman, you know, he does speak pretty fast and he's very passionate about what he does.
"It took a bit of adjusting to understand him and get the concepts. But it's like anything - I just hung in there. And like I said, my faith has been at the centre of all this. There was no way I was leaving. I was always going to fight those battles and I did. Like I said, there's been better days."
