His impressive effort means little in the aftermath of a seven-point loss, but take Josh Papalii out of the Canberra Raiders and there is a good chance that margin blows out.
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The Raiders lock has trimmed down this season and registered solid numbers in the middle in Canberra's 25-18 loss to the firing St. George Illawarra Dragons at Mudgee's Glen Willow Stadium on Sunday.
The Queensland Maroons incumbent gave State of Origin selectors a reminder of his value as the series opener draws closer with 160 running metres and 23 tackles.
The problem is not one other Raiders forward cracked three figures in the metres gained department.
A frustrated Raiders coach Ricky Stuart is desperate for more players to follow his lead.
"We were lucky to have him out there. We need more of them," Stuart said.
Joe Tapine faces a nervous wait
The Raiders could be dealt a cruel blow by the NRL match review committe with second-rower Joe Tapine in danger of missing Friday night's clash with Manly Warringah at Canberra Stadium.
Tapine was placed on report for a shoulder charge on Matt Dufty and has 90 carry-over points to his name from a dangerous throw charge in round nine.
"I'm hoping not [to miss a game], but it's up to the judiciary. They'll make the right decision, whatever they think and I'll just have to live by it," Tapine said.
Close game hoodoo
It's the horrific record that has left Raiders captain Jarrod Croker "extremely" frustrated.
The Raiders lost eight games by six points or less in 2017 and they've already dropped five contests by eight or less in 11 games this season.
"We sat down and spoke about it last week, being smart, and then we sit down and speak about it this week," Croker said.
"It’s just eyes up footy, we’ve just got to be smart. We said it last week, we said it in rounds one, two and three."
The Raiders have lost 26 games by six points or less since coach Ricky Stuart arrived in the capital in 2014. Over the same period they’ve won just nine games by a converted try or less.
Bush footy
Welcome to Mudgee. Population: 10,923. People at Glen Willow Stadium on Sunday: 8962.
Sure, not all of them were Mudgee natives, but there is no doubt the country remains the lifeblood of rugby league.
While some punters snagged seats in the grandstand, the majority were crowded together on the hills, with stacks of youngsters weaving their way in between them with a footy in hand.
It was a brilliant reflection of the passion rugby league fans have in regional areas and more clubs would do well to follow suit in years to come.
Blake Austin impresses
In a similar vein to Papalii, if you take Blake Austin out of Canberra's 17 the result could be a whole lot different.
Austin has worked tirelessly on his defence in recent weeks and while he wasn't perfect, he came up with 16 tackles - three of which were try-savers.
"It was probably his best defensive display since he has been at the club," Stuart said.
