Cameron Smith never played on an Ashes tour, which is another reason why the prospect of coaching Australia has such a strong appeal to him.
Smith is one of the leading contenders to take over from new Perth Bears coach Mal Meninga as Kangaroos mentor ahead of the first three-Test Ashes tour since 2003.
South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett, who has been in charge of Australia previously, is also a contender, but for that to happen the ARLC must make a change to the protocol that club coaches are ineligible to guide the Kangaroos.
Smith, who played an extraordinary 56 Tests for Australia, spoke about the appeal of being at the helm of the 2025 series in England.
"It's huge, isn't it? I grew up watching Ashes tours where Australia would play Great Britain or England," he said.
"I never got to play in one, but that's a huge lure to be a part of such a prestigious and historic tour. It hasn't been done for a long, long time - over 20 years - so it would be great to be a part of."
While touted as the favourite for the job, Smith said it was too early to count his chickens.
"Until I hear anything official from anyone at the NRL or from the commission, I haven't really given it too much thought" he said.
"I haven't spoken to anyone about the role as yet. I'm aware that my name has been tossed up as a potential coach.
"I do understand though, it's a wonderful opportunity. It's a great privilege to be able to be the coach of our national side, the Kangaroos. I was lucky enough to play for that team many, many times, so it would be a great privilege."
If Bennett was to get the job for the Ashes tour, there has been a suggestion that Smith would be an ideal assistant in a "dream team" before taking over ahead of next year's Rugby League World Cup.
"I haven't put too much thought into it. As it stands right now, the rules are that club coaches can't be involved," Smith said.
"But I'm hearing that they might be discussing that and maybe altering their thoughts on that, which is entirely up to the game and the executives in charge. If that happens, that's great.
"Wayne Bennett's a wonderful coach. He's probably one of the greatest coaches to ever coach in our game, so if he ends up being the Kangaroos coach, they'll be in good hands."
