Against a pack containing State of Origin enforcer Dylan Napa, Emre Guler didn't look out of place.
You couldn't get a better compliment from Canberra Raiders acting captain Josh Hodgson.
The 20-year-old came on in the 20th minute and in less than half an hour he pounded out 82 metres from eight runs and made 24 tackles without missing one.
Canberra Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson.
It was like he'd been there all season.
With big boppers Shannon Boyd (Gold Coast) and Junior Paulo (Parramatta) leaving at the end of the season, Guler put his hand up to not only play South Sydney next week, but also for round one next year.
"I thought he didn't look out of place at all. We've been talking for a while about a time to put him in," Hodgson said.
"We've missed the semis so it's a great opportunity for Emre to come in. He didn't look out of place for one minute.
"Playing alongside him, his talk was very good for a young kid and his carries and everything. He didn't once get dominated.
"It's always good to get a win for a kid on debut, especially for a lovely kid as Emre. Such a humble lad, great background, great family."
Salary cap saviour
With the NRL coaching circus in overdrive at the moment, all Roosters coach Trent Robinson can say is "Thank God for the salary cap".
Penrith have sacked Anthony Griffin. Ivan Cleary's been linked to Penrith, despite still being a Tiger. Wayne Bennett keeps prodding the Broncos for an extension or release they won't give.
Pressure has been put on Paul McGregor because St George Illawarra are struggling despite being in the top eight, which led to former Dragon Mark Riddell putting some heat on Raiders coach Ricky Stuart.
And Trent Barrett wants out of Brookvale.
It doesn't look like stopping anytime soon. Robinson wished it would.
When asked what he thought about how close the NRL is, he took aim at the "self destructive" goings on in the game.
"The only thing I've got to say on the last couple of weeks in rugby league as a rugby league fan, 'Thank God for the salary cap' to keep the competition even," Robinson said.
"It's been a pretty obvious circus. Luckily we've got a highly talented group of rugby league players that get put under a salary cap and they keep producing each weekend.
"There's a lot of stuff around the game which has been self destructive."
Is it wishful thinking to think the soft salary cap on football departments, which comes into full effect in 2020, will help?
Handbrake on turbo-charged Green Machine
From the very start, the Raiders seemed a lot more reserved, a lot more focused. And a lot more effective.
They're the best attacking team in the NRL and can score outrageous tries from anywhere, but have always been defensively brittle.
Against the Roosters they scored one try and kicked five goals to win by two in a low-scoring affair.
The 14 points was their lowest winning score since 2013, when they beat Parramatta 14-0.
If they could harness this reserved power every week…
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