Tapine excelled as acting captain, running 302 meters in a thrilling victory against Gold Coast.
Sometimes captaincy can be a burden, but not for Canberra Raiders enforcer Joe Tapine.
Raiders coach Ricky Stuart says Tapine's game has gone to another level since he stepped in as acting captain in Elliott Whitehead's (calf) absence.
That can be embodied in one number - the 302 metres he ran in the Green Machine's golden-point thriller against the Gold Coast on Sunday.