Darling (27) has ticked off a few milestones in 2013, the highlight being the birth of a baby daughter, Taylor, in May for Darling and wife Victoria.
He also won another Citizens Shield title with his Oamaru club, Old Boys, played his 50th first-class game for North Otago in the semifinal win over Wairarapa-Bush, and was selected in the Heartland XV earlier this week.
The only area of confusion was Darling's birthday, which - despite congratulations coming his way from friends on Facebook this week - is actually in August, not late October.
''Somebody did a cheeky wee post and it started to kick off,'' he laughed.
Darling, a diesel mechanic at Gillies Manufacturing in Oamaru, is a mobile prop who always seems to enjoy his rugby.
That has rubbed off on North Otago since he took over the captaincy following skipper Josh Clark's injury against Wanganui in late September.
''Clarkie performs with his actions - I like to do a lot of talking,'' Darling said.
''He was awesome for us, and he was just one of those players you just watch and he performed so well in every game.''
The combinations took a while to click for North Otago this year, which Darling put down to a lack of familiarity between players.
''We took a wee bit longer than what we anticipated to gel. We weren't really gelling in the first game - everyone was from different clubs and different backgrounds.
''Once we came together a bit, we worked each other out and things started to work for us. They're a good bunch of guys. They've all played a bit of rugby so they're rugby-smart, really.''
Darling played down the momentum factor created by North Otago's seven consecutive wins.
''It is a big thing, but we're not thinking too much about that.
''If we can win the battle up front, our backs will be able to do some damage out wide.''
Darling has slotted goals for Old Boys in the past, but he hopes his kicking skills do not get called into action today.
''If that has to happen, we're in a bit of trouble. I'm probably around sixth or seventh [on the order of kickers], so hopefully that's not tested this week.''
