For Tino, all he ultimately wanted to do was one thing on Wednesday night: a win to even the series.
This win, however, means more than just any other.
Leading into Game 2, on Saturday morning, Tino Fa'asuamalaeaui's father, Fereti, passed away after battling with cancer.
The Maroons enforcer stayed behind when his teammates flew to Melbourne on Friday and joined the team on Monday.
When Tino told the Maroons his dad had passed, there was no instinct to drop out of the match.
Instead, he let coach Billy Slater know that he wanted to play in honour of his father.
"It means so much," he told Nine after the game.
"Just to come out here and play the sport that I loved growing up.
"All the sacrifices my dad and my family made for me to be here, it was just so good to go out there and do what I love.
"My old man had the best seat tonight. Hopefully, we put a smile on his face."
Queensland Maroons have been through this situation before with Cameron Munster last season, losing his father before Game 3, which they would claim the series.
Tino saw the rugby league world come together and share their condolences about the death of Fa'asuamaleaui's father.
It was surreal for him and showed appreciation for the support he received.
"The amount of messages I got as soon as everyone found out. It was beautiful (from) the rugby league community," Fa'asuamaleaui shared.
"All the messages I got from people texting me on Instagram it means so much.
"Shout out to those guys because yes, it has been a tough week, but just seeing the stories and messages from everyone really puts a smile on my face.
"It was amazing. Much love, guys."
The Gold Coast Titans captain put in a strong performance for his side, having 15 runs for 125 metres, 2 tackle breaks, made 27 tackles, and only missed one in 51 minutes of game time in the 44-24 victory over the Blues.
Now, the series is evened up, and the decider will take place on July 8 at Suncorp Stadium, where Tino will hope to claim the series and go back-to-back, the first time since 2022 and 2023.
