Tallyn Da Silva has spent the past six months attempting to temper his greatest strength.
"I've been trying to pull myself back from running the ball," the Parramatta hooker said.
Which isn't easy, given the 20-year-old spent most of his teens picking holes in defensive lines by being zippy out of dummy-half.
"I don't want to lose my strength," he said.
"I have grown up just running the ball. Coming to Parra, they knew that was my strength, and they've put their faith in me to continue to do that.
"But there is a big difference between junior reps where you are the fastest kid to an NRL system where everyone knows how to defend with systems in place."
Da Silva had what was easily is best day in Eels colours against St George Illawarra on Sunday.
He got the balance of running and passing right, scoring two tries and setting up another in the come-from-behind win.
That was first evident when he got to dummy-half with Parramatta on the front foot before halftime, and quickly sent second-rower Kitione Kautoga over.
Then after the break there was the other aspect of Da Silva's play, when he noted options outside him had been shut down and he darted over to score himself.
Moving to the Eels has not come easy, after Da Silva's high-profile exit from Wests Tigers last year left him adapting to new structures at Parramatta mid-season.
He then copped three highly-publicised on-field bakes from Mitch Moses in his fifth game, with the halfback frustrations including Da Silva's call to run it on the last from dummy-half.
"There were a lot of learnings in the off-season, but I think from now on it will get a lot better," Da Silva said.
"I just think footy wise it's a lot different and it's pretty hard getting used to the way the team plays and the different systems.
"But the boys and the coaches and all the staff made it 10 times easier. They allowed the transition pretty easily. They knew I would get a few things wrong and mess a few things up but they put their faith in me."
Parramatta are confident he has turned a corner.
"He's early doors in his career," Eels coach Jason Ryles said after Sunday's win.
"Sometimes he does some things and outside to the naked eye you think is he working? But we know how hard he is working.
"It's good to see him get his just reward, because that's what he's capable of. He came on and turned the game for us."
