Robert Toia has gone quiet. Very quiet from the moment Mark Nawaqanitawase got the call-up to the NSW Blues, his Sydney Roosters teammate and close friend seemingly vanished into thin air, and the debutant winger has every intention of reintroducing himself on Wednesday night at the MCG.
The pair are inseparable in the Roosters' backline and closer still off the field, but the Queensland State of Origin jersey has a funny way of cooling even the warmest of friendships.
Since Toia learned his best mate would be lining up in sky blue, the phone has gone suspiciously dark.
"Rob hasn't spoken to me all week," Nawaqanitawase told AAP in an interview.
"We're best of buds a few days earlier, but as soon as he found out (I'm playing), he doesn't want to talk to me, so I'm going to make sure I talk to him in the game.
"Not like bad chat ... I'm all fun and games, and it's all our mates there, mates versus mates, but I've still got to do my job and make it hard for them, but at the same time you have that respect for them."
Nawaqanitawase is one of seven Roosters to lineup in this State of Origin match, and will lineup on the right wing, away from Toia, but has flagged he'll be seeking out not one but two Roosters teammates in maroon, with fellow clubman and Maroons halfback Sam Walker also in his sights for a mid-game match-up.
The 25-year-old's path to Origin has been nothing short of a whirlwind.
A former Wallabies star who has crossed codes with his try-scoring instincts fully intact, Nawaqanitawase was originally named on Laurie Daley's bench before a leg injury to Casey McLean flung open the door to a childhood dream, all after just 36 NRL games.
His feats in the Roosters' backline have been nothing short of freakish, yet he arrives at the biggest stage of his career with a refreshingly grounded outlook.
"Yeah, you have a license to do what you can do, but the game's pretty simple if you just do the the hard stuff first, those things will come," Nawaqanitawase said.
"It's not like I'm out there trying to do crazy things - I've just got to do my job as a winger for the team as best as I can, and then whatever comes off that, that's just a bonus."
Beyond the game, Wednesday night carries a weight that goes far deeper than the result.
Nawaqanitawase and Toia share a bond that extends well beyond the Roosters; both men are proud of their Pacific island heritage.
The Roosters winger has roots in Fiji and Toia in Tonga.
Both come from families of ten children. A size contingent of Nawaqanitawase's relatives, a brother, a sister, seven step-siblings and a host of cousins will make the trip to Melbourne to witness his Origin debut in person.
"I know how big the sports - rugby union, rugby league are in Fiji - so it's pretty cool to think I'm representing a small nation there," the 25-year-old said.
"But at the same time, I'm also Australian and Italian, so I represent those two as well, so it's cool to see the impact you can have with just running around and throwing the ball around."
For one night only, the friendship is on hold, but something tells you Nawaqanitawase will find a way to make Toia regret the silent treatment.
