Joe Tapine kept telling himself he could be one of the best forwards in the game - he just had to convince everyone else.
That mantle was usually reserved for guys like his Canberra Raiders teammate Josh Papali'i, and North Queensland's million-dollar man Jason Taumalolo. Now all three will be vying for the tag of the NRL's premier middle forward on the same night in Townsville.
Throw in Cowboys trio Jeremiah Nanai, Coen Hess and Jordan McLean, and Canberra's Hudson Young, Corey Harawira-Naera and Elliott Whitehead, and suddenly you've got one of the best forward pack battles a rugby league...