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Cronulla hooker Blayke Brailey has credited a fresh mindset for his emergence as an explosive attacking threat throughout the first 11 weeks of the NRL season.
The 26-year-old has long been viewed as a reliable workhorse who provides good service to his halves but has added a new dimension to his game this year.
Brailey has already matched last year's tally of line-break assists in just 11 games and is on track for a career-high in try assists.
The hooker said off-season conversations with Cronulla coach Craig Fitzgibbon and a confidence to think run-first have been the key to the changes.
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Blayke Brailey Try
"It took me a while to really find the running game," Brailey said. "I was happy just to give good service and make my tackles and I saw that as a good game.
"Every year I want to step my game up and if you're a threat in the middle it helps players around you get over the advantage line.
"Everyone knows we can shift the ball really well so my first point of call was to look to the side to find Nicho or [Braydon Trindall] to shift the ball because we are so good with it but I need to take a bit more onus on looking forward for us.
"Going straight forward is the quickest avenue to take metres. I worked hard with [Craig Fitzgibbon] to rewire the brain a little bit, it's working well for us at the moment and makes playing a lot more enjoyable when I'm out running."
Match: Roosters v Sharks
Round 12 -
home Team
Roosters
12th Position
away Team
Sharks
5th Position
Venue: Industree Group Stadium, Gosford
Brailey is out to continue his impressive season when the Sharks travel to Gosford to take on the Roosters on Saturday night.
The hooker has been among the biggest beneficiaries of the arrival of Addin Fonua-Blake in the summer.
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Addin Fonua-Blake sets the tone up front
The prop has been one of the most dominant players in the competition, posting a league-high 892 post-contact metres.
Fonua-Blake's performances through the middle have opened up space for his Cronulla teammates, with halves Nicho Hynes and Braydon Trindall using the additional time to pick apart opposing defences.
Brailey has had the chance to snipe around the ruck on the back of quick play the balls and is enjoying the extra space to attack.
"He's the best front rower in the competition," Brailey said. "His late footwork and the way he can carry the ball is great to watch and I'm so glad he's on my side.
"He creates that ruck speed and gets you on the front foot straight away. He's such a dominant player in the middle so I feel really safe being out there."
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Addin Fonua-Blake Try
While he's been a key cog in the Sharks success over the past few years, Brailey often flies under the radar in a league filled with talented hookers.
Reece Robson and Api Koroisau were the top two men in the pecking order for a NSW jumper, while Melbourne's Harry Gant is the reigning Dally M Hooker of the Year.
Former Sharks and NSW hooker Michael Ennis declared in commentary over the weekend that Brailey is one of the elite dummy halves in the game and said he should be in the Blues conversation.
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GF glory: Fifita breaks the Storm wall
Such praise means a lot to a hooker who grew up a Cronulla fan and was in the stands when Ennis led the club to a drought-breaking grand final victory in 2016 and he hopes to emulate his mentor's feats for club and state.
"He's done such great things in the NRL for the Sharks and he's played at that representative level," Brailey said. "I'm not going to shy away from it, I definitely want to play [for NSW] and be part of that squad.
"It's the old cliche, [representative selection] comes off the back of good team performances so I'm just focused on that. I do know if I do get a chance I won't let anyone down and I'll definitely take it with both hands."
