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On his right arm is an elaborate tattoo with an ancient Eastern theme. On the top half of his left arm is an Indian in a Western theme. East meets West in blue ink.
It's somewhat appropriate because Nathan Fien is a man of the world these days.
Not in the Michael Palin global traveller kind of way but Fien has been on something of an interesting journey over the past nine months.
Last June, he was told by the Warriors he didn't have a future with them beyond 2009 and that he was free to leave at any time if he could find another club.
He ultimately failed in this search, although UK Super League outfit Huddersfield showed considerable interest before focusing their attentions on former Canberra bad-boy Todd Carney.
Fien then experienced a golden run of form that helped propel the Warriors not only into the top eight but also the last four.
He backed that up with a starring role for the Kiwis in their World Cup triumph.
Professional sportsmen are like commodities traded on the stock market. Fien's share price skyrocketed in a short space of time.
Huddersfield were back in the market after Carney was denied a visa to enter the UK because of his criminal conviction and offered him a three-year deal while another NRL club circled in the hope of snaring Fien.
The Warriors, though, weren't now prepared to let him go even though they had convinced Stacey Jones to come out of retirement.
"A young Nathan Fien might have been disrupted by all of this stuff but you grow a little wiser as a footballer and a person," the 29-year-old says with the hint of a lisp because of a missing bottom tooth. "The main thing is you have to go out there and perform every week, no matter what is happening in your life.
"You might be having a bad week with the kids but the bloke in the stands doesn't care about that. They want to see you play well every week and that's what I focused on. The last six to nine months have probably been the most consistent football I have played."
Significantly, he did it playing at halfback. It has always been his preferred position and it was where he made his name in five seasons with the Cowboys but he hasn't always had the luxury of an extended run with the No 7 on his back.
In fact, he has played only 18 of his 96 games for the Warriors at halfback and 10 of those came at the end of last season around the time the Warriors went on a run of 10 wins in 13 games.
His improved form was never about proving the Warriors wrong. Fien says he's not that type of person. Not any more, anyway.
"I have learned what I can and can't do," he explains. "When I first got the opportunity to play halfback when Stacey left [in 2006] I got caught up in playing outside my game, trying to be the next Stacey Jones. I have now learned you just have to play your game and that's what I did last year and it's what I plan to do this season."
WHEN IT'S announced a player has permission to find another contract, it usually comes after a player requests a release.
They're invariably frustrated at their situation or lack of playing time and hope to find a paddock with greener grass.
Not in Nathan Fien's case. When he was called to a meeting with the coaching staff and management last June, he had little idea what it was about, especially as he still had 18 months left on his contract.
"At first I was a little shocked [the Warriors were prepared to let me go], given that it was midway through 2008 and a decision on my future at the club had already been made beyond 2009," Fien says. "A ball hadn't even been kicked in that season yet.
"Then I got home and digested it and realised it could work out to be a good thing. Most players aren't given that sort of warning and find themselves in a panic to find a club. It allowed me to go out and look for a bit more security."
Fien looked, at least his manager did, but couldn't find. Huddersfield had recently appointed former Dragons coach Nathan Brown as their new coach for 2009 and Brown was known to be a fan of Fien.
Negotiations took place but terms were never agreed. Then Carney was axed from Canberra and everything changed.
"I had a contract through to the end of 2009 so I wasn't feeling any pressure," Fien says.
"I just know that if you perform on the field, it will all get looked after. Football is a funny game and things can change so quickly with players and their contracts."
It happened swiftly for Fien.
At about the same time as he was told he wasn't in the club's long-term plans, Fien was picked to play at halfback. It was the first time in two-and-a-half years and he greeted the news with excitement.
It was a move many fans and commentators had been urging Cleary to do for some time because of the inability of Grant Rovelli and Michael Witt to lead the team around the park. At the time, the Warriors were in danger of slipping out of the playoffs race and it was still only halfway through the season.
Fien had been sharing the hooking duties with Ian Henderson, and he still did that from time to time during games, but he provided greater direction and a better kicking game from halfback.
As the NRL finals loomed as a real possibility, so too did the chance Fien would be recalled to the Kiwis for the World Cup.
His first foray into international rugby league had been a disaster courtesy of a great-grandmother and a bungling NZRL and he knew
Grannygate would be dredged up again if he was selected by Stephen Kearney and Wayne Bennett.
It was probably the nadir of his rugby league career to have his eligibility hauled across the coals but, again, it was all part of the learning experience for a player who had grown up a lot since leaving the small Queensland mining town of Mt Isa as a kid.
"I don't care what people think of me," he says defiantly. "As long as I have done my best, I'm happy with that. I was so happy just to be back in the frame after what happened a few years ago.
"It was a hard time for me and my family, especially considering we hadn't done anything wrong. I had moved on and accepted the apology from the NZRL.
"When I finally retire, I wouldn't want to be remembered as Nathan Fien the Grannygate. I have played close to 200 NRL games and played in two preliminary finals and now I can say I have played in a World Cup-winning team - the first New Zealand team to win it, which is quite unbelievable.
Just talking about it now gives me the goose bumps. At the Kiwi celebrations a few weeks ago, we heard what it did for the people. It was more than a game of football."
NATHAN FIEN had just emerged from a meeting with Stephen Kearney and Wayne Bennett when he was told he would be playing at halfback against England when Ivan Cleary called.
The Warriors coach had some news and it wasn't necessarily good. The club had just convinced Stacey Jones to come out of 'retirement', meaning Fien's place at halfback could come under considerable pressure.
"I was rapt and feeling really good about everything when Ivan called to say they had just signed Stacey," Fien says. "For me, it didn't change anything. I still had to compete for my spot. Ravs (Grant Rovelli) was still there, as well as Witty (Michael Witt), Issac John and Liam Foran. All it was was another number I had to compete with.
"I also saw the flipside and told Ivan it was good. We had lost Ruben [Wiki] who had such an aura among the players. With him gone there was a gap that needed to be filled and Stacey has done that. The group is still balanced."
Fien remained balanced enough to play a significant role in helping the Kiwis win the Holy Grail. Pretty soon the phone started ringing again from potential suitors.
Significantly, Huddersfield were back in the market again after Carney was denied an entry visa to the UK and Fien was tempted by their new offer.
If it had come in June, there's no doubt he would be in the north of England now.
"They made an offer I was happy with," he says. "It was for three years and financially it was very good for us. I had to ask the Warriors the question.
"I was fairly certain the Warriors wouldn't let me go given that they had just let Ravs go to the Cowboys but I still had concerns about the end of the season. I sat down with Ivan, John
Ackland, John Hart and Wayne Scurrah about what they saw as my role at the club. I had this new offer and they had previously said I could go.
"Because of what happened at the end of the year, all of a sudden their opinions had changed. I wanted to know how much they had changed. I was happy with what they said.
"They saw me as an experienced player. Sure they had Stacey, Liam and Issac, but they valued me and opened their mind about me staying beyond 2009. Ivan said I had evolved as a player over six months and he could see me staying, which was good. Belinda and the kids are settled here and if that option was available, we would definitely explore it because the Warriors are building to something special and I want to be a part of it. But I'm pretty
comfortable about my future because I know there's going to be a bit of interest there and that allows me to get on and play football."
Fien demands a spot in the Warriors starting lineup after his form of the last few months. It's most likely at halfback initially, although he is expected to see time at five-eighth in a trial match against the Cowboys at North Harbour Stadium today where he will play outside Jones.
The pair played together in 2005 during the difficult season under Tony Kemp but they look better equipped to succeed now with depth in almost every position.
New recruit Joel Moon seems to have the inside running at five-eighth for the start of the season, especially with the injury to Witt, but Cleary could do worse than pair Jones and Fien together in the halves for a season that holds great promise.
"If we play to our potential, I think we will do really well this season," Fien says. "I can see us giving it a good shake. It's that's the case, the Warriors might want to keep me, which would be fantastic. If not, I understand that's football and we will go our separate ways."
If he does leave, Fien is likely to end up in the UK for another chapter in his journey. Then he would be even more worldly. He might mark that with another tattoo, if he can find room.
