Highlanders midfielder Malakai Fekitoa looks to offload against the Rebels in Dunedin last weekend.

Good things take time, at least that's how All Blacks and Highlanders midfielder Malakai Fekitoa is treating the decision on his playing future.

Off contract with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Dunedin-based Super Rugby franchise at the end of the year, the 24-year-old is in no rush to confirm his future.

"I don't have a timeframe," Fekitoa said. "I let my management team do all the talking behind the scenes. For me, it's about getting my game right and enjoying my rugby."

DIANNE MANSON/GETTY Malakai Fekitoa dives over to score one of his two tries against the Rebels in Dunedin last week.

Fekitoa admitted interest from overseas clubs in nabbing his signature earlier this season, but played a straight bat when asked on Friday if negotiations with NZR had started.

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JOE ALLISON Malakai Fekitoa earned praise from Highlanders coach Tony Brown in the aftermath of last week's 51-12 win against the Rebels.

"I can't say," he said. "They have been around supporting me for a few years now, but like I said, I don't do any talking. I'm focussing on being happy and getting excited every week, rather than stressing about it."

That's the approach Fekitoa hopes will help him return to the form which catapulted him into the All Blacks on the back of an impressive debut season for the Highlanders in 2014.

But since helping the Highlanders win their first Super Rugby crown in 2015, Fekitoa hasn't been the same player and was left battling for game time in the black jersey during last year's end-of-year-tour.

ANDREW CORNAGA/PHOTOSPORT Blues fullback Michael Collins will play against the team he grew up supporting in his hometown Dunedin on Saturday night.

By his own admission, Fekitoa's form has remained scratchy so far this season, but he believes his two-try performance against the Rebels last weekend could be a sign of things to come.

"I've been learning over the last couple of games about what went wrong and how to get better," Fekitoa said.

"At the start of the season, I came in and I had a lot of excitement. I wanted to do everything for the team and I think I tried too much.

"When things didn't go my way, I tried to do more and obviously made more mistakes.

"It didn't go well and I dropped my head. Mentally, it wasn't good. Obviously it showed on the field and that's when the errors came in, dropped balls and all sorts."

Fekitoa will play his 56th game for the Highlanders in Dunedin on Saturday night, when they host the Blues in an all-important New Zealand derby at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

Not only will it give Fekitoa another chance to play against the team which didn't want him four years ago, he could come up against Sonny Bill Williams - one of the many Kiwi midfielders scrapping for a spot in the All Blacks for winter's British and Irish Lions tour.

Williams, who hasn't played since rupturing his Achilles tendon during last year's sevens campaign at the Rio Olympics, has been named on the bench in his return to rugby.

"He's a great athlete," Fekitoa said. "He's big, tall and skillful and he's been around for a long time. He's pumped to be out there playing, it will be hard to bring him down."

With dry conditions guaranteed, the match promises to be a better spectacle than the rain-sodden eye-sore at Eden Park last month, won 16-12 by the Highlanders and no doubt promptly deleted off recording devices by even the most passionate fans.

Saturday night's game will also be a home-coming for Blues fullback Michael Collins, who was schooled at Otago Boys' High School and plays for Otago in the Mitre 10 Cup.

With the Highlanders signing former Blues winger Tevita Li in the off-season, there was effectively no room for him at the southern franchise.

"He was always in a pretty competitive spot in the midfield and it wasn't until he made a shift to fullback that he started to play some quality footy," Highlanders coach Tony Brown said.

"He was obviously on the Highlanders' radar, but with Ben Smith and quality outside backs, there's not many spots available. It was great to see him get picked up by the Blues, but there's no reason why in the future we won't see him in a Highlanders jersey."​

AT A GLANCE:

Highlanders: Ben Smith (c), Tevita Li, Malakai Fekitoa, Richard Buckman, Patrick Osborne, Marty Banks, Aaron Smith, Luke Whitelock, Dillon Hunt, Elliot Dixon, Tom Franklin, Alex Ainley, Siosuia Halanukonuka, Liam Coltman, Daniel Lienert-Brown. Reserves: Greg Pleasants-Tate, Aki Seiuli, Siate Tokolahi, Joe Wheeler, Liam Squire, Kayne Hammington, Fletcher Smith, Matt Faddes.

Blues: Michael Collins, Matt Duffie, Rieko Ioane, George Moala, Melani Nanai, Piers Francis, Augustine Pulu, Steven Luatua, Blake Gibson, Jerome Kaino, Scott Scrafton, Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, Charlie Faumuina, James Parsons (c), Pauliasi Manu. Reserves: Matt Moulds, Sam Prattley, Ofa Tu'ungafasi, Patrick Tuipulotu, Akira Ioane, Billy Guyton, Bryn Gatland, Sonny Bill Williams

Referee: Jamie Nutbrown

Kickoff: 7.35pm, Saturday