Daniel Tupou is the first to admit 2016 wasn't his finest NRL season.
The 25-year-old Sydney Roosters winger remains his own worst critic despite his more than 100 first-grade games, a Test and multiple NSW Origin appearances.
Yet his single biggest motivating factor behind this season's sharp form turnaround has come from an external source.
It's not the fans - he doesn't take the "mean stuff" a handful say personally.
But more than anything, he cares what his dad Michael thinks.
"My old man has been supporting me since I started playing, he was in my ear in the off-season to work hard again and try and prove him wrong again," Tupou told AAP.
"It's still in the back of my head, how I performed last year, and that motivates me to go out there and play well.
"Dad's a tough character and he's always into me to go better than I did each game.
"He was always reminding me about 2016. That's what probably got me through this year so far."
Michael's tough love was in his son's head when he combined with Blake Ferguson for five tries in last weekend's 48-10 drubbing of Parramatta.
And it will be there again when Tupou and the Roosters face Canterbury away on Sunday, nine weeks after beating the Bulldogs by four points in round two.
Now well and truly in the top-four race, two points will be vital at ANZ Stadium before Trent Robinson's men are ripped apart by representative duty.
Tupou is playing down his own chances of another State of Origin outing for NSW, despite an injury to Tom Trbojevic opening up the Blues' left wing spot.
The other more pressing element playing on his mind has been his Tricolours future.
Once up in the air, that's now close to sorted - rumours suggest he's set to sign a four-year extension.
"It's just in the talks at the moment," Tupou said.
"Good signs so far and hopefully it's finalised, but I'm not thinking about it until I've signed the dotted line."
STATS THAT MATTER:
- The Bulldogs are scoring the equal last points in the NRL (15.2 per game along with the Wests Tigers), and have scored easily the least amount of first-half points of any team so far this season
- The Roosters have scored at least 20 points in the past seven, and nine of their past 10, against the Bulldogs, winning seven of them
- The Roosters have won four of their past five matches at ANZ Stadium, keeping their opposition to 10 points or less in all four wins
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