It took a halftime reminder from Kevin Walters to spark Ben Hunt to life in Queensland's State of Origin opener on Wednesday.
The makeshift No.9 had been solid without much impact during his first half as a hooker for the Maroons, kicking a 40-20 the standout highlight.
But it was Hunt's running boots, not kicking boots, that Walters had picked him for.
"Kevvie said to me before the game he wants me to run a fair bit out of there," Hunt said.
"I got in at halftime and he gave me a little - not a spray - but he just said 'mate you need to run the ball more, you're not really running'.
"I just tried to bring that in the second half."
Hunt came into his own the second term, increasing his influence as the Maroons overturned an 8-0 deficit into an 18-14 win.
After a forgettable 2018 campaign where Hunt lost his No.7 jersey after the first two games to Daly Cherry-Evans, Wednesday's display suggested the 29-year-old may have found his spot in Maroons setup.
The St George Illawarra star played a full 80 minutes and finished with a game-high 48 tackles.
He also had time to rip off Boyd Cordner's boot and fling it away while tackling the NSW captain.
"It just ended up in my hand," Hunt said of the de-shoeing of Cordner.
"I was like, I'm not going to give it back to him. I've just got to get rid of it."
Hunt is almost certain to retain the No.9 jersey for game two in Perth on June 23 and believes he, Cherry-Evans, five-eighth Cameron Munster and young gun Kalyn Ponga will combine better in that clash.
"Another camp together will make things a lot more crisp," he said.
"At times we were just a bit off in attack and things weren't as crisp as we'd like it. The more time we spend together the better we'll be."
