If there was a moment to typify the Canberra Raiders of 2020, this was it.
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Gold Coast captain Jamal Fogarty had just sliced through a ragged Raiders' defence and was off to the races with only clear air between him and the try line.
Enter Josh Papalii.
Fresher than normal perhaps after deciding to start this one on the bench. he lunged desperately at Fogarty and thrashed out an arm to affect an ankle tap.
Fogarty went down, the ball popped loose and the situation was diffused. It's probably worth mentioning big Papa weighs at least 35kg more than Fogarty.
Papalii's effort epitomised everything about the 2020 version of the Green Machine. Such is coach Ricky Stuart's faith in his most dominant forward, he leaves it up to Papalii as to whether he starts on the field or the bench.
On this occasion, Papalii opted for the latter.
"I just felt like I just needed a change, I started for the last seven or so weeks," Papalii told Fox League.
"I just felt like I just wasn't getting the boys off to a good start so I thought the best thing for the team was to move myself to the bench and I thought that worked today."
Season-ending injuries to key players and an exhausting fixture list have only made Stuart's men hungrier than ever this year.
Alas, this was something of a luxury match for the Raiders. We're told there are no easy games in the NRL, but this unprecedented and unique season has thrown up a gaping chasm already between the haves and have nots.
Saturday's fifth win from six games all but guarantees a finals berth, and Stuart's men are well and truly in the top-four conversation with a favourable fixture forthcoming to finish this season.
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Papalii's ankle tap was not the only gut-busting effort at a sunny Cbus Super Stadium.
Englishman Ryan Sutton played his best NRL game yet, storming for a staggering 195m in an unyielding 52-minute stint.
Joseph Tapine and Corey Harawira-Naera also started, which meant Papalii, 150-gamer Dunamis Lui and Hudson Young entered with fresher legs than usual. Luxury.
For all the working-class efforts though, Canberra still boasts a Rolls Royce in Jack Wighton. Two tries in four first-half minutes set this win up for the Raiders...one of pure artistry and one of brute strength.
A perfectly worked wraparound with Elliott Whitehead set up his first before he did it all on his own four minutes later, fending off a hapless AJ Brimson close to the line.
Discount Papalii and his pride at your peril.
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
