Tonga star half Isaiya Katoa is set to adopt a Reece Walsh mindset in the Pacific Cup and back himself no matter what.
Tonga, who play Samoa at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, have never won the tournament.
Halfback Katoa, just 21, is a keen watcher of footy. He said Brisbane's grand final hero Walsh had adopted a supreme confidence, combined with skill, that would not be denied in the 26-22 decider win over Melbourne.
It is an ethos that captured Katoa's imagination. Walsh will debut for Australia against England hours before Katoa takes on Tonga's fierce rivals Samoa. The synergies are palpable.
"I definitely wouldn't compare myself to Reece Walsh after the way he played that finals series, especially that grand final," Katoa said.
"Some of the things he did, I can hands-down say that was the best individual performance I have seen in a grand final.
"If anything, I take a bit of confidence out of that. The one thing I take out of Reece Walsh's game is that he will continue to attack the game.
"He might throw a forward pass or intercept, but the next times he is throwing that exact same pass they are scoring two tries.
"Obviously not everything works for everyone, but something I take out of his book is that no matter what happens in a game to continue to back yourself. Back what you see. Back your skill set and be confident with it."
Katoa has done that in his short career in abundance. Already regarded as the game's leading young playmaker, he is hungry to win the Pacific Cup after Tonga fell at the final hurdle against Australia last year.
"Understanding how close we were to being able to win the championship, it gave us a lot of confidence," Katoa said.
"We were disappointed at the end of last year, but I think it has fuelled us and made us more hungry to go one better."
Three years since leaving Penrith for the Dolphins, Katoa has no regrets.
His decision to leave was far from easy, but now as the linchpin of Tonga and the Dolphins it has proven to be the right decision for his football career.
"As good as Penrith was, I don't think I would have got the development I would have got, especially in terms of exposure to first-grade games," Katoa said.
"I would have had to sit there behind a lot of great halves. I was happy enough to do that, but I knew for the benefit of my own footy I needed to get out of my comfort zone and go somewhere I wasn't as comfortable to kick-start my footy career that way.
"I owe so much to the Dolphins for them to take a chance on me straight out of high school, with no idea who I am. I can't thank them enough."
Katoa has also forged a strong bond with Dolphins and Tonga coach Kristian Woolf based on mutual respect and complete honesty.
"The relationship we have built over the last three years is having that respect where I can go up to him and have a conversation about what I am seeing in games and what I am feeling," Katoa explained.
"He always encourages me to do that and it is what I respect about Woolfy. He is not a coach who will tell you what to do all the time. He is open to conversation. We are the players out on the field and he can only see so much."
