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Daniel Tupou is edging closer to becoming the first Roosters player in more than 80 years to win four premierships because he always finds his best on the biggest day of the season.
In terms of premierships won, Tupou is the most successful Rooster of the 21st century. The Roosters boast a galaxy of stars for Sunday's NRL decider against Newcastle, but veteran winger Daniel Tupou might be the only one who could call himself a grand final specialist.
Not that he ever would — at 35, Tupou has been a firm believer that actions speak louder than words for many years now, and those actions demand his automatic inclusion in any discussion about an all-time Roosters XVII. A win over the Knights will make Tupou, already the club's highest-ever tryscorer and only a few games shy of being their most capped player, the first Rooster to win four premierships with the club since the 1940s.
He's the only player to have appeared in all three grand final wins under coach Trent Robinson, although calling what Tupou has done merely "appearing" sells him short. Back in 2013, in just his second year of first grade, Tupou went skywalking to score a spectacular try in the Tricolours' win over a Manly side containing future teammate Daly Cherry-Evans.
Getty Images: Cameron SpencerBack then, Tupou was like so many of his teammates are now — young and hungry in his first grand final, with everything to prove.
"I can't remember much, to be honest it's a bit of a blur, it was such a long time ago. Most of these boys are where I was in 2013 — I was the same age then as Rob Toia is now," said Tupou.
"He's has never brought it up. I might not bring it up this week, not until after the game on Sunday at least.
" That try was just the 17th of Tupou's career, and his 199th in the preliminary final win over the Dolphins is proof he can still fly. But that and his calm demeanour are about the only things that are still the same after all this time, with Tupou himself having become one of the best wingers of the modern era in the years since.
His performances in the club's back-to-back premiership wins in 2018-19 are living proof of that transformation from skinny aerial specialist to a truly complete flanker. In the first victory, a comprehensive win over Melbourne, he scored the opening try and worked like a dog from the backfield, running for the second-most metres of any Roosters player.
In the second, a 14-8 war with Canberra, he was unlucky not to become the first winger to win the Clive Churchill Medal as man of the match. Tupou ran for a team-high 185 metres from 17 carries and saved several tries with perfect defensive decision-making before making the break and throwing the final pass for James Tedesco's premiership-winning score.
It's as good a game as a winger has ever played in a grand final, but when Tupou explains how he finds his best form on the season's biggest day, he makes it sound maddeningly simple.
"You have to stay calm and collected. Enjoy the week and the hype around it, enjoy the atmosphere once we hit the field but embrace the vibe, embrace the energy," said Tupou.
"Just stay present. Don't overthink, be where your feet are.
" It's the advice he'll give the grand final rookies on Sunday, even though the Roosters have plenty of premiership experience on hand. Victor Radley and James Tedesco both played in 2018-19, Nat Butcher and Angus Crichton were both there for the latter and Spencer Leniu won three titles with Penrith. But given 15 of the 22 players named on Tuesday have yet to play in a grand final, they have a fair share of first-timers.
None could ask for a better example of how to make the most of it than Tupou, whose deeds under the brightest of lights have made him a stone-cold living legend of the club he'll once again try to bring to glory on Sunday.
"It's nothing less than what we've already done, we just have to stay consistent. "Sports content to make you think... or allow you not to. A newsletter delivered each Saturday.
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