Canberra Raiders workhorse Elliott Whitehead admits a game-defining penalty rattled his confidence last week, but the English star vowed to repay his teammates against the Penrith Panthers on Saturday.
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Whitehead is determined to make amends for a late penalty that allowed the Cronulla Sharks to boot their way to a 16-14 win against the Raiders last weekend.
It was a cruel twist to his NRL finals debut after a breakout season that has transformed him from unknown import into the competition's ironman.
Whitehead has played the most minutes of any player in the NRL this year, missing just two minutes in a superb season that saw the Raiders finish second on the ladder.
But a split-second decision left him shattered after he caught Sharks fullback Ben Barba high as the Raiders scrambled to save their defensive line.
Sharks playmaker James Maloney slotted the ensuing penalty goal and Cronulla held on for a two-point win.
Teammates told him not to worry, especially given he's made an average of 38 tackles per game this year. The next morning Jordan Rapana and Joey Leilua took him to play golf after the match to take his mind off the result.
"But that didn't really help because I didn't hit them very well," Whitehead grinned.
"I felt sick when it happened. We'd done all the hard work and for me to do that ... it wasn't the worst penalty but it did rattle me.
"If we were in that scenario I'd do the same thing again to slow Barba down, but I just wouldn't get him around the head. It wasn't that hard, it just made a loud clap.
"I can't think about it, I've moved on. We get a second chance and we'll take it this week
"I wouldn't say I've got a point to prove – I've worked hard every week for the boys and feel like I've been doing my job pretty well the last couple of weeks. I appreciated hearing that from the boys."
Former NRL and Raiders bad boy Todd Carney was the man who planted the seed that Whitehead should link with the Green Machine.
"He keeps telling me 'I told you so'," said Whitehead.
Carney, who was dumped by the Raiders in 2008 following a series off-field incidents, played with the athletic back-rower at the Catalans Dragons in the English Super League.
He told Whitehead that the Raiders and coach Ricky Stuart would perfectly suit him, as did the Raiders' star hooker and fellow Englishman Josh Hodgson.
"I speak to Todd quite often," Whitehead said. "It's pretty hard with different time zones and that but when I get a chance we'll Whatsapp each other and stuff."
Whitehead has been immense in his debut season for the Green Machine.
He's played the most minutes of any player in the NRL – a total of 2019, missing just two minutes over 25 games.
He has made 985 tackles in total and missed just 53 to form part of the right-side combination with Rapana and Leilua.
The workload has taken some toll on his body, but not enough to stop the 102kg player from inflicting damage.
"I feel good and I've really enjoyed my first season here," he said.
"Penrith are going to be really tough, they've gone up to a new level. But we've definitely got the belief ... we just need to fix some little things up and we'll get back on track."
NRL SEMI-FINAL
Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Penrith Panthers at Canberra Stadium, 7.40pm. Tickets available from Ticketek.
Raiders team: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Edrick Lee, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Junior Paulo, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Shannon Boyd, 11. Josh Papalii, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Sia Soliola. Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste, 15. Luke Bateman, 16. Clay Priest, 17. Joe Tapine.
