Mitchell Moses has had critics throughout his NRL career, but as he prepares to receive a State of Origin SOS from NSW, Blues coach Brad Fittler will know that the Parramatta playmaker is comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Moses looms as the saviour of the series for the Blues when Fittler names his squad for the must-win June 21 clash in Brisbane.
Already 1-0 down and without Nathan Cleary, the Blues must go to Suncorp Stadium and do what no NSW side has done before and save the series.
Moses, who outplayed Adam Reynolds and Nicho Hynes on the final weekend before Fittler finalises his side, only has one Origin game to his name.
But in that single cameo - in a dead rubber in the 2021 series - Moses proved that he could take punishment and keep going, playing 70 minutes with a fractured back.
"I was just biting down on my mouth guard for 70 minutes and tried my best because I didn't want to let anyone down," Moses said after leading Parramatta to a 34-12 win over Canterbury on Sunday.
"It was unfortunate that we didn't get the win that night, but we'd wrapped up the series in the first two games.
"It was a good opportunity and a great experience, but it was tough.
"I got hit pretty early in the game and I was pretty much biting down on the mouth guard and did my best."
In recent years, too, Moses has also shown a calmer demeanour that had eluded him in the early stages of his NRL career.
Eels coach Brad Arthur said fatherhood had put a cooler head on his halfback's shoulders and that was reflected in Moses' ability to be patient and wait for opportunities to come to him.
"He's been close to the main reason I changed my game since I came to the club," Moses said.
"I wanted to throw long balls and get the points easily, I didn't want to play the long game.
"He has slowly taught me how to do that and I've had some pretty good halves coaches in the last few years in Joey (Johns) and Trent Barrett.
"Those guys have helped me massively, Brad's changed my game from a highlight reel to be able to control games and finish off games."
© AAP 2023