Criticised for his relaxed approach in the past, Scott Bolton has emerged as a natural leader of the pack at an injury-hit North Queensland ahead of the NRL grand final against Melbourne.
Cowboys assistant David Fairleigh paid tribute to Bolton after the 30-year-old stepped up in his 11th season to fill the void left by co-captain Matt Scott and help spark an unlikely title tilt.
But Fairleigh was most impressed with the way the 30-year-old went about it.
Country boy Bolton had raised eyebrows at the club in the past for his laidback attitude.
At one stage North Queensland coach Paul Green even sat Bolton down and asked: "Do you want to be professional footballer or a professional fisherman?".
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However, there have been no complaints since Test prop Scott broke down in round two.
Fairleigh said he was pleased that Bolton did not have to be asked to step up when Scott's injury compounded the off-season loss of ex-Test props James Tamou and Ben Hannant.
"Scott from day one has had to pick up a lot of responsibility," he said.
"We obviously lost a few props and someone had to step up to the plate.
"I don't think anyone said 'that needs to be you' - he just did that naturally.
"When guys just do it naturally that is the best type of leadership."
While Jason Taumalolo has grabbed the headlines, the unsung Bolton has been the Cowboys pack's rock in a season in which they have churned through 32 players due to injury.
He is averaging 125m and 29 tackles per game and playing 20 minutes more a match than last year.
In June he earned a new two-year deal.
"It's a testament to Scott Bolton. He is one of those guys who took it upon himself to get the job done," Fairleigh said.
"He's had some pretty serious injuries too but he keeps turning up - it just typifies the spirit among the team."
Bolton has only played for North Queensland since making his NRL debut back in 2007.
