After biding his time on the fringes, Adam Keighran stepped into the spotlight last Friday as he coolly nailed a penalty goal to lift the Roosters over the Broncos.
And now the 24-year-old is determined to remain a regular in Trent Robinson's team, setting his sights on locking down a centre position under the tutelage of veteran teammate Josh Morris.
Keighran joined the Warriors as a five-eighth in 2019 but was afforded only three matches to prove himself before being dropped.
He tallied nine NRL games for the New Zealand club before arriving at the Roosters ahead of this season, mainly being as a bench hooker until he replaced the injured Morris in round 20.
"I've been all over the shop a few times, but I really do like centre. I like hitting those holes, running the lines," Keighran said.
"It's a fun position to play, especially when you've got such a good forward pack to get you on that front foot."
Regular advice from Morris, who isn't due back from a hamstring issue until the finals, has been invaluable.
Keighran drills the pressure kick to win it for the Roosters
"[Morris has spoken] about getting back onside quicker; it gives you a bit of a wider view of the field once you're back there, you're not rushing into position, especially in defence," Keighran said.
"And then just in attack, getting into position early, talking to your man inside you, making sure you're both on the same page.
"Just little things, not the typical things that most people would think of … Just little pointers here and there each time at training or after a play. It's pretty cool having him there."
Buoyed by encouragement from Robinson, Keighran is eager to show he deserves a long-term role anywhere in the team.
"I'm just happy to be in the starting 13 or even in the 17 with the Roosters," said the utility, who is contracted until the end of 2022.
"It's such a great club ... To be in that starting role is something pretty special and something I'm definitely not taking for granted."
Following Kyle Flanagan's departure at the end of last season, the Roosters have struggled at times without a genuine goal-kicker.
In Keighran, they've found a sharpshooter with an overall success rate of 79.55 percent after 20 games in the NRL.
"I couldn't tell you how many kicks I've done in practice or how many hours I've spent on a field - or soccer field, really – to get this opportunity to put it into play," Keighran said.
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"I don't feel a whole lot of pressure in doing it. I know how much practise I've done and it's more about going out there and doing the exact same thing I do on a practice field."
As for what was running through his mind as he drilled a tricky goal under pressure to ice last week's game at Suncorp?
"It's something that I've dreamt of as a kid, so to actually execute it and put it into an NRL game, it's a pretty cool feeling," he said.
"But quite nerve-wracking, I will admit. The crowd was a lot louder than I expected it to be, but [I was] quietly confident.
"Just because I'd made the previous kicks in the game. I reckon if I had missed a couple or something before that, there would have been a few more nerves than what I had."
Meanwhile, second-rower Nat Butcher spoke of his happiness playing alongside younger brother Egan in first grade.
While the elder Butcher, 24, debuted in 2016, 21-year-old Egan is learning the ropes after making the jump this season.
"I really enjoy playing footy with Egan and to his credit, he's played some great footy ... He hasn't just done his job or done what's asked of him, he's really stepped up and delivered more," Butcher said.
"I was a Roosters fan growing up and he liked the Doggies. He really loved Willie Mason. We'd always play footy in the backyard and then that footy would turn into a fight and that fight would turn into tears."
