Manly Sea Eagles young gun Joey Walsh made his first start in the NRL on Sunday night, and boy, did he make an impression.
Despite being peppered by Penrith Panthers second-rower Isaiah Papali'i all night in defence, he held strong and gave some classy touches as Manly went down 18-16 at CommBank Stadium.
Walsh delivered on the quality skill-set that was highly publicised well before he made his NRL debut at the end of last year.
Many are now speculating how Walsh can feature in the top 19 each week, given he has shown he has what it takes for NRL intensity week-in, week-out.
The Sea Eagles have now tasted defeat for the first time under 'Fozball', but head coach Kieran Foran was still proud of the courageous effort shown against an elite opposition.
"I've just said to the guys in there, 'That's as good as effort that I've ever seen'", Foran told the media in his post-match press conference.
"We're obviously disappointed because we felt we were right in it and had a chance to walk away with the win."
Foran was also glowing with praise for his young apprentice, given that he was also a teenager when he started his journey in the halves for the Sea Eagles back in 2010.
"Yeah, he was good, I thought he was great," Foran added.
"For a young guy to come into this arena, up against the come that's coming first, he was pretty calm throughout the week.
"I thought defensively he was outstanding. We all know what a tough kid he is, but he put his body in front time and time again.
"He came up with some really nice plays at certain times of the game, and he'll only get better. He's a real future player for us."
Walsh's classy playmaking was presented in all its glory when he used a head-fake and flat ball to put Haumole Olakau'atu through a hole, setting up Ethan Bullemore to cross in the second half.
"That's instinctive Joey, he's been doing that all preseason, every week up against the boys at training," Foran answered when asked if he taught him that move.
"He's just got so many skills he can keep growing, that was a beautiful pass. At that time of the game, to execute that the way he did, it just shows you the sort of ability that kids got."
With all the hype developing for the 19-year-old, it begs the question: what does the best line-up for the side look like?
Many called for Walsh to replace Brooks in the six jersey when Seibold was still coach in the opening month, including myself.
However, since then, Brooks has consistently been one of Manly's best throughout the following five weeks.
So the answer is to move Brooks to the six-man bench as utility, halves depth and accommodate him and Walsh?
Not exactly, Brandon Wakeham is playing out of his skin in the hooker role, and his dynamic with Jake Simpkin coming off the bench is also working a treat.
It looks like Foran won't be able to accommodate everyone, a good headache to be having as an interim coach.
Foran confirmed Fogarty and Brooks are his one and two best halves at the club, and whether he can find a way to get Walsh crept into games is unknown at this stage.
However, Foran added that Walsh has a bright future at the club and will assess the options throughout this week, with a bench spot most likely marking his place for the foreseeable future.
"Obviously at the moment, our starting are Jamal and Brooksy and those two boys have been playing great," Foran continued.
"With a guy like Joey, if we can see value of a bench spot with him moving forward, there's a six-man bench there that we can potentially use him on to give us great cover and some spark too when we've needed it at various times.
"There's a few options we can look to tinker with as the year goes on, but he knows he's still really early on in his career and there's parts he wants to continue to grow and get stronger at.
"If he can play like that for us throughout the year, he's going to be a pivotal part to where we are going and what we're doing. It's just a matter of trying to fit everyone in, isn't it?"
An exciting era is brewing for the Sea Eagles with Walsh dipping his toes into the NRL arena.
They also have Ashton and Onitoni Large in their junior ranks, who just finished their SG Ball season, coming a whisker away from a Grand Final appearance in the under-19s competition.
Both Large brothers are projected as key spine members for Manly in the future, with Onitoni in the halves and Ashton out of dummy half.
The brotherly duo both showcase elite skills which will almost certainly see them do great things in the maroon and white.
The Sea Eagles turn their attention towards the Brisbane Broncos, who are battling one of the most significant injury stages in modern NRL history.
They are set to be without Kobe Hetherington, who failed his HIA in Sunday's fixture, placing him in the NRL's mandatory 11-day stand-down period.
The premiers will be without NSW Blues top candidate Kotoni Staggs, who is suspended for two matches following a high shot on Roosters centre Hugo Savala.
It will no-doubt be a full house in Brookvale when the Sea Eagles run out on Saturday night.
