Trent Robinson never tires of watching Daniel Tupou score tries for Sydney Roosters, saying the veteran winger "just keeps going".
Already the club's all-time record try-scorer, Tupou crossed for two more four-pointers more in the Roosters' 22-20 victory over Newcastle on Thursday night, stretching his club record to 148, and giving him 13 tries from 15 career appearances against the Knights.
The Roosters' coach was even more pleased with Tupou's tough carries, which helped the three-time premiership-winner run for 227 metres as part of a formidable combination with stand-in fullback Joseph Manu (29 runs for 349m) and centre Joseph Suaalii (17 runs for 209m).
"I thought with Joey at the back, Su and Toops there ... they really started our sets well, right from the start," Robinson said.
"I think his first carry was okay, but from his second carry on, he ended up making a lot of post-contact metres, and obviously having to score those tries, some angle changes, it was pretty impressive. He just keeps going, Toops, he keeps going."
Tupou takes home two
Tupou's first try came in the 17th minute, when he finished off a passing sequence started by Luke Keary and Manu to crash over in the left-hand corner and trim Newcastle's early lead to 8-4.
The second four-pointer involved changing direction and crashing through several defenders, after lead-up work by Brandon Smith, Angus Crichton and Terrell May, and stretched the Roosters' lead to 22-14 with only 15 minutes remaining.
Despite a late try by Knights lock Adam Elliott, which cut the deficit to two points, the Roosters hung on to register their third win of the season and leave the Knights with a 2-4 win-loss record.
Manu making moves in fullback
"We were pretty good, the outside backs," Tupou told reporters after the game.
"We had a job to do today and we did it well, so we can take that performance and move on to Melbourne. It was a good stepping stone."
"I just take [the tries] as it comes," he said. "I don't think about all that accolades stuff but I'm glad we got the win and I was pretty lucky to pick up two tries.
"We're definitely happy with the result.
It was a bit scrappy towards the end there but there was a live period there, where we just went toe to toe, and we were able to ice that game. It was a proud performance but definitely some lessons we can take out of it, for sure."
Tupou, who turns 33 in June, is five games into a one-year contract extension with the Roosters, with whom he won premierships in 2013, 2018 and 2019.
Though his future remains unclear beyond 2024, the NSW, Australian and Tongan representative is keen to continue playing at the highest level for as long as possible.
Māori and Pasifika Round Up
"It's pretty unknown at the moment, but it's just a conversation I have to have with my manager and one I'll have soon," he said.
"'I'm just taking it day-by-day and enjoying this win.
"You do feel it a lot when you pass 30 but we've got some good people around us who look after our bodies and do our recovery right and make sure we eat well.
"I'm just trying my best to stay healthy and get on the field, so I'm pretty happy at the moment."
This article contains content that is only available on NRL.com