According to his head coach Dan McFarland, had the chips fallen differently, Stuart McCloskey could very well have been locked into an Ireland jersey across the last five years.
Such is the grip that Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose have had on the centre spots with Ireland, the 'Bangor Bulldozer's' six caps - spread across the last six and a half years - seems like short change.
Maybe the nickname didn't help his cause, creating the notion that he was nothing more than a midfield battering ram, and somehow less of a footballer than those who were edging him to Irish selection.
Anybody who has watched him consistently over the last two years in particular would know the width of the 30-year-old's skillset, arguably the most important player in an Ulster backline that has grown enormously in recent seasons.
Whether or not McCloskey adds to his six caps in next month's Bank of Ireland Nations Series games remains to be seen, but with Bundee Aki suspended, it came as no surprise to see him included in the 37-man squad.
Speaking to the media prior to this week's squad announcement, he was asked if he'd be "shocked" to miss out, before politely saying his main feeling would be "disappointment".
"I've been shocked a few times over the years, so I don’t want to say too much," he wryly added.
The Stuart McCloskey fan club has always had healthy attendances, but in the last two years the membership has swelled. And he freely admits he's been aware of the hype around him down the years.
"I see a bit of it, there's been noise like that for eight years!
"I’m six or seven caps down the line, but there’s been noise, and there always is noise.
"I think what drives me is to play well for Ulster. I want to put in good performances for the team, and the guys here. One of the reasons I signed on for another three years was so I could have a go at a World Cup, and get more caps, I'd be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about that before I signed.
"I’ve played professional rugby for nine years, and I feel like I’m just getting better. I just have to keep on pushing and see how good I can be.
"I've played some pretty good stuff over the years, consistency-wise maybe the last year and a half has probably been some of the best stuff I’ve played.
"There have been a couple of hamstring injuries which have taken me out for a couple of blocks of six weeks and eight weeks, but when I have played it’s been pretty consistent, pretty good.
"I’m happy with my form, and hopefully I can keep it up going forward," he added.
Having been a surprise omission from the initial squad to travel to New Zealand last summer, McCloskey impressed for Ireland 'A' against the Maori All Blacks after receiving a late call-up due to an injury for his Ulster teammate James Hume.
"Just go out there and try play what's in front of me. I don't normally set too many targets, I used to do that when I was younger."
His impressive form has continued into this season, starting all five games for Ulster so far, and although he's scored tries in his last two appearances, it was the opening round win against Connacht that showcased his skillset best, with his deft offload out of contact sending his centre partner Luke Marshall in for the game's first try.
That confidence to take risks, he says, comes with age and experience, and putting more time and energy into the things that can go right rather than the things that can go wrong.
"Just go out there and try play what's in front of me. I don’t normally set too many targets, I used to do that when I was younger.
"If the space is out wide, get there, if there’s space to run over someone, or get a half-gap and get my arms free I’ll do that. But with the way the team is set up now it’s to play what's in front of you rather than set goals before a game.
"I wouldn't be that self-critical, I tend to look at the good things rather than the bad things a lot. If you look at the mistakes too much it goes round your head. You don’t try things anymore.
"I’ll go for a few more things, I might make mistakes, but you’ll see things like what happened against Connacht [his offload for Luke Marshall’s try] a bit more.
"I like doing that sort of stuff more than being hyper-critical of myself."
Without giving away state secrets, expect him to continue to take risks this Saturday against the Sharks in Durban, with the centre explaining that the nature of the South Africans' defence leaves the potential for offloading.
"I think with the ultra-physicality and linespeed that the Sharks and a lot of South African teams have, it lends itself a bit more [for offloading], they end up having to make a lot of one-on-one tackles.
"If you play a team like the Ospreys, they'll try double-team you more or choke tackle you. With the way South African teams play, it will lead to more mistakes defensively.
"They’ll create opportunities for themselves, the linespeed, but hopefully our shape is good enough to work through that, if we can put a few phases together we could cause trouble."
Last week's win against the Lions - Ulster's first in South Africa since beating the Southern Kings in 2019 - leaves the province in a healthy position in the table, second place and just two points back from Leinster.
Having a victory in the bag on this South African trip lightens the tension ahead of the meeting with a loaded Sharks side.
And McCloskey says while it's not exactly a free shot at them, it certainly eases the pressure.
"It takes a lot of pressure off. We had a tough run of three games with the Lions, Sharks and Munster coming up, so we knew it would be tough to get results, so it's good to get the first one off the bat. I don’t know if it allows us to be freer, but it takes a bit of pressure off.
"The Sharks will be extremely physical, you saw that with the likes of Etzebeth, Kolisi in the pack, and then they have word class players all over the park."
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