KEY POINTS:
Denan Kemp's short rugby league career has passed some remarkable milestones but perhaps none surpasses the moment when he was scouted by the Broncos as a 17-year-old.
In more recent times, the winger has had a whale of a time - signing a two-year deal with the Warriors
and 24 hours later scoring a record-equalling four tries for the Broncos in their dramatic 30-26 win over the Eels.
That was extraordinary enough but it was probably overshadowed by what happened four years ago.
At that time Kemp was an extremely promising Australian age-group footballer who had also picked up national athletics titles when he was convinced by his schoolmates to join them for a Catholic secondary schools rugby league tournament.
"One of my mates who was a massive Broncos fan said, 'if you come to this, you will be scouted by the Broncos'," Kemp says. "And I was."
Kemp made an immediate impression and was named the player with the most potential. Not bad for someone who had never really played the game, except for the occasional runaround with his mates.
Ivan Henjak, the current Broncos assistant coach who will take over from Wayne Bennett next season, happened to be watching in the hope of discovering a gem like Kemp.
He took Kemp aside and asked if he had already been signed by another club and, if not, whether he would like to come away on a camp. Kemp had little understanding of what Henjak was talking about and, a week after playing in an Australian age-group football tournament, his parents rang Henjak to sound him out.
"Football was everything to me," Kemp says, "but I didn't really want to move overseas with footy and, at that time, that's what you had to do if you wanted to make it.
"It just felt right on a rugby league field. It just felt natural. It was something new as well and if the Broncos come knocking on your door, it's hard to say no to them.
"It changed my whole perspective. I started thinking that if they wanted me and I hadn't played much footy, there might be a future in the game."
That future lies with the Warriors in the medium term. With Israel Folau having signed to join the Broncos from 2009, Kemp was told he couldn't be guaranteed first-team action so went looking elsewhere.
His gaze finally fell on Auckland.
Although Kemp is still raw by NRL standards - he has played only 14 games - he has already proved that he is a devastating finisher with blistering pace.
On his debut playing at fullback against the Sea Eagles at Brookvale Oval last season, when he played for an Origin depleted Baby Broncos, he scored a spectacular 75m try that was later voted the third-best of the season by NRL.com.
This season he already has nine tries from 10 games that has him second-equal behind the Dragons' Jason Nightingale.
For the Warriors, it was the perfect fit. Kemp is young, raw and with great potential and, as they like to do, they picked him up before he had made a name for himself.
They also got him before his four-try exploits, when his price might have gone up.
Apart from Manu Vatuvei's good start before he broke his leg, the Warriors have looked lightweight on the wings. They have also lacked genuine pace.
Kemp was bashful when asked his fastest time for 100m, saying it opened him up for examination, but said he was clocked at 10.7 seconds when just 15. Gus Nketia set the New Zealand 100m record of 10.11s in 1994, while Olympic-bound 200m runner James Dolphin holds the country's fastest 100m time this year with 10.46s.
This year, Kemp was reportedly timed by Broncos at 4.85s for 40m but is rated quicker over longer distances.
It's fair to say things have always happened quickly in Kemp's career.
In his first season with the Broncos, he made the reserve grade side. He has also played for Queensland under-19s and the Queensland residents teams.
"I guess things have always come pretty naturally to me," he says, "but at the same time I work pretty hard. I'm not like some of those freaks who don't train at all. I love sport and I work hard.
"I remember my first real game and walking off thinking, 'my body is so sore'. It was crazy. I just wasn't used to it but I never thought 'I wish I was still playing soccer'.
"When we did our first tackling session, I did one tackle and my shoulders were so sore because they weren't used to it. There was so much I needed to change with my body."
He put on 10kg to his rangy 71kg frame in his first four months with the Broncos and beefed up to 88kg before settling back to 84kg. He also needed to learn the rules.
"I'm not a league head. It probably took me two years to realise the numbers in the forward pack, to be honest. I didn't need to know that. On the wing, I just needed to do some scoots [out of dummy half] and score a try."
The Warriors hope the successful formula continues.
The club flew him over to Auckland for 24 hours last month to show him around and meet the coaching staff and he soon agreed terms.
"It was a short time but in that time I was pretty impressed," he says. "I really liked the culture, it's a lot like the Broncos, and I really think they are going to be a good club in the future. I saw it as a really good opportunity."
Kemp has been all about taking his chances and if he can continue his remarkable try-scoring record, there might be a few more good weeks ahead of him yet.
