"IT was one of the best weeks of my life."

While disappointed to be eliminated from the NRL Rookie on Tuesday night in the first show, Bundaberg's Reece Maughan is looking at the positives after being on the show.

Maughan was one of 28 rookies selected from around the world to compete on the Channel Nine show which will offer the winner a guaranteed contract with an NRL club.

On the first episode Maughan was shown competing in two challenges, a nine-a-side match and a 60-minute running session up a hill in Sydney's Moore Park.

Talking to the NewsMail after his elimination Maughan said that wasn't the only things they did to impress.

"That one-hour episode was a week and a half of my life, so they cut it down a lot," he said.

"Before the running up the hill we did a lot of testing.

"(They were) just getting a gauge of how we are with our vitals."

Admitting he watched the show alone at home, Maughan said it was a weird feeling watching himself.

"It was a pretty crazy thing to see myself on national television," he said.

"My phone was going off the whole time so I think I was watching it with every

one."

Of all the challenges Maughan said the hill climb was the toughest.

He said it was also heartbreaking to watch the elimination part again.

"I was shattered when the last jersey was called," he said.

"I was just staring at the back at Freddy (Fittler's) bag saying please let there be another jersey."

Maughan said he will do anything now to take his game further.

"I want to go as far as I can with football," he said.

"I'm going to focus on playing some good footy for Easts and lead them to a premiership.

"Thank you to everyone that's supported me in Bundaberg and beyond. A special thank you as well to my family and my partner."

You can hear more from Reece below: