So it is no surprise the 36-year-old is now representing Otago for the third time at the Civil Contractors New Zealand CablePrice National Excavator Operator Competition.
Mr Keane secured his spot at the finals after his success in the Otago regional event in January.
He will be one of 12 finalists, competing at Manfeild Park, Feilding, on Friday and Saturday, during the Central Districts Field Days.
"Hopefully it’ll be third time lucky," he said.
While the Dunedin operator spends much of his working week digging ditches and moving earth around on construction sites, he said the national final would be quite different.
It challenges the country’s best operators to complete crowd-pleasing feats like slam dunking a basketball, playing Connect Four, precisely pouring a cup of tea and digging precision trenches using their excavators.
"You have to be pretty precise trying to pour a cup of tea and not smash the cups and stuff like that."
Basic skills would be tested, too, and health and safety awareness and operators’ ability to scope and plan a job would make up a key part of the judging criteria.
Mr Keane said he had been driving excavators for about 18 years — a job he had always loved doing.
"It’s pretty much just like going out and playing in the yard every day. It’s not really a job — it’s fun."
Civil Contractors New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard said the competition was "a fantastic day out and immensely entertaining", but it also had a more serious side.
"We’ve got some big infrastructure challenges in New Zealand, whether it’s ageing water pipes, or demand for new transport and energy infrastructure.
"The industry needs more skilled excavator operators and dedicated individuals to fill a range of important roles, so this competition is about inspiring people to consider civil construction," he said.
