HE'S a proven big-game warrior who is yet to stamp his authority on the business end of the NRL season.
And until he does so, Newcastle Knights back-rower Tyson Frizell won't be fully satisfied with what already rates as an illustrious career.
Frizell has played in 193 NRL games, as well as 14 State of Origins for NSW and 14 Test matches for Australia.
But success in the play-offs has been frustratingly elusive for the 29-year-old.
In 11 seasons as a first-grader, he has appeared in only two finals series, with St George Illawarra in 2015 and 2018. Of the three sudden-death showdowns in which he has played, just one delivered a victory.
Naturally that record doesn't sit well with such a fierce competitor.
"In the past, it's been very difficult," he said. "I try not to watch it, to be honest, because you get pretty jealous of the guys that are there.
"I guess the only game I really like to watch is the grand final.
"It's a time of year when you want to be playing footy, and when you're not there, it's very disappointing.
"So we're doing everything we can to get there at the end of the year."
After eight seasons wearing the Red V, Frizell faced an agonising choice last year, when he knocked back an offer to stay at the Dragons and accepted a three-year deal with the Knights.
Given that the two contracts were reportedly in the same ball-park financially, it would suggest Frizell opted for Newcastle because he felt they had brighter prospects of post-season success.
"The older you get, the more you appreciate how tough it is," Frizell said.
"It's hard to make finals football ... so I'll be doing everything I can to perform well, and I know this playing group wants to be part of the finals, too.
"But we need to be winning this game [against Cronulla on Sunday], first and foremost, and hopefully that [finals] comes at the back end of the year."
Frizell and his teammates face a tightrope walk over the next month to qualify for the final eight.
After last weekend's games, Newcastle were ninth on the competition ladder but level on points with Gold Coast (seventh) and Canberra (eighth).
Cronulla are one rung on the ladder and two points below the Knights, so neither team can afford a loss on Sunday.
"We've got a tough game this week against the Sharks, and if we want to be playing at the end of the year, it's a special game that we need to tick off," Frizell said.
"There's a cluster in there trying to make the eight, and the Sharks are one of those teams."
Sidelined for five weeks mid-season after requiring ankle surgery - an injury that cost him an almost-certain NSW Origin berth - Frizell has been back for four games now.
His form has been building and he produced arguably his best display in Newcastle's colours in last week's 28-20 win against Brisbane, carrying the ball 178 metres and effecting 29 tackles.
"It was probably my most consistent performance, I guess, since coming back from injury," he said.
"Probably the few games before that weren't some of my best.
"I'd probably been away from the game for a while and was finding my feet.
"I'm just happy with us as a team, performing well.
"I know I need to be playing well if we're going to be a chance in the finals. I need to continue doing that."
