A Central Coast junior who played under-20s for Manly with Jake Trbojevic and Clint Gutherson, Ikuvalu had been chewed up and spat out of the elite system.

Then aged 23, he considered giving the game away. By that age, most outside backs had taken their opportunities.

Halfway through a primary school teaching degree, the classroom was his likely future.

Then Trent Robinson came knocking in the form of a train-and-trial deal last summer.

And on Thursday, the 25-year-old will play in the biggest game of the regular season against St George Illawarra at the SCG.

"I always thought I was going to have a big crack at Manly and that didn't work out," the Roosters winger told AAP.

"I went to Wyong because I had a few friends there and I knew they were in the NSW Cup. I didn't really have anything else backing me after that."

Ikuvalu's connection with the Roosters only came by chance.

He joined Wyong for 2015 just before the Tricolours linked up with the Central Coast outfit after severing ties with Newtown Jets, but was never one of the Roosters fringe first-graders who played for the Roos.

But after being named NSW Cup centre of 2017, he was noticed.

Ikuvalu debuted in the NRL last season and this year has scored two tries in four games filling in for the injured Brett Morris and Ryan Hall.

"My age has helped push me," Ikuvalu, who still lives in Gosford, said.

"Now that I'm a bit older and I know that a lot of the younger players are the outside backs who are debuting at the moment.

"As soon as I got the opportunity I wanted to take it with both hands so I can have that longer of a career that I've always dreamed about."

And as for the teaching degree?

Ikuvalu is midway through the final year of his course, waiting for a gap in his busier-than-usual schedule to finish his work placement and shore up a career outside of rugby league.

"It's good to have something that takes me away from footy a bit. It takes my mind off it," he said.

Australian Associated Press