Braydon Trindall showed all the class and composure of an elite NRL playmaker to coolly kick a match-winning two-point field goal in Cronulla's finest win of the season.
But the clutch play that helped the Sharks seal a fourth win on the spin with a 10-8 victory over the Warriors in Auckland last week fails to tell the full story of Trindall's transformation into one of the NRL's most lethal ball-players.
As he prepares to come face to face with Queensland messiah Sam Walker when the Sharks face the Sydney Roosters at Allianz Stadium on Sunday, statistics reveal how Trindall has established himself among the league's playmaking elite in 2026.
Trindall leads the NRL with 19 forced dropouts and sits third in the try-assist standings (16), behind only Penrith's Nathan Cleary (18) and Melbourne's Jahrome Hughes (17).
The 26-year-old's own scoring output is up too, with Trindall registering seven tries across 13 games, his strong form all the more impressive given his first-choice halves partner Nicho Hynes has been sidelined for the past month with a calf strain.
"While it wasn't his usual three-try-assists game we've come to expect from him, he (Trindall) had the skill to kick the ball back to them in uncomfortable spots every time," Sharks prop Tom Hazelton told AAP.
"That's a tremendous skill - it's under-appreciated, but not by us - and we love that about him because he kicks as good as anyone in the comp.
"He has really matured and stepped up as a leader in our team and he's matured into the player we know he can be, and while I say that he's not at his level yet, and that's what is exciting for us."
Trindall's ascent has not been without its challenges.
The playmaker faced a fork-in-the-road moment two years ago when he failed a roadside alcohol and drug test.
"He paid a heavy price for that," said Sharks lock Cameron McInnes.
"That field goal was amazing, he can do that - he's one of a handful of guys that can do something like that.
"That doesn't shock me, but it is how hard he's working off the field that makes me proud of him."
Both Hazelton and McInnes suggested Trindall's red-hot form was a result of the playmaker shaving his head and embracing Cronulla's "bald brotherhood''.
"There's quite a few (of us) baldies out there, so the more the merrier," the follicly challenged Hazelton said.
"We've had a few boys jump on board this year, and there's probably a couple more at the club who could join who are holding on."