For the second State of Origin game in a row, a middle forward from the Queensland Maroons side has taken man of the match honours.
Coach Billy Slater is not surprised.
In Game 1, it was Reuben Cotter who put together a superb 80 minutes, including big minutes out of position on the edge.
In Game 2 on Wednesday evening in front of over 50,000 fans in Brisbane, it was Sydney Roosters' prop Lindsay Collins who put together a leading effort in the Queensland pack, making effort plays on and off the ball during his 42 minutes on the park.
As Queensland put on a 32 points to 6 victory, it was Collins who led from the front, and Slater said watching Collins play, it's not hard to see why.
"I watch our players - the Queensland players - as much as I can in the first 12 weeks of the year. If you watch Lindsay Collins play, and you just purely watch Lindsay Collins play, he has great habits in his game and puts himself in a position to make a lot of plays," Slater said.
"He thoroughly deserves that medal around his neck. "
Collins was one of the questionable selections in the Queensland pack according to most pundits, with indifferent form over the first half of the season alongside a misfiring Roosters' pack.
The battle for middle third spots in the Queensland side is at fever pitch given the number of options available, although that was lessened by the representative retirement of Josh Papalii.
Slater said the Queensland coaching staff have been "blown away" by the attitude of the middle third.
Reuben Cotter has had that medal around his neck [in Game 1] and thoroughly deserved it," Slater said.
"He has played three Origin games and been in the top handful of players on the field every game.
"We have got a middle unit that I'm blown away by how hard they work and their movements. We watch their training and we look at it sometimes as a coaching staff and think this is too good to be true. That's the engine room for the resilience on your tryline and the continually turning up. It takes more than athleticism and more than talent. It takes ticker, it takes concentration, and those players, Lindsay Collins leading that way, they are the heart and soul of the team."