The form of Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has him positioned as a frontrunner for the NRL's highest individual honour.
The fullback is widely considered one of the leading candidates to win the Dally M Medal - the annual prize awarded to the competition's Player of the Year.
The winner is determined via a points-based system of voting by rugby league scribes on a game-by-game basis. The best player is given three points, the second-best awarded two, followed by three for the third.
The leaderboard is traditionally open to the public until Round 12, when the voting moves behind closed doors, until the winner's unveiled at the official awards ceremony.
Panthers half James Maloney was atop those rankings, but his latest injury, which will see him sidelined until the finals, will likely end his chances of winning. Several unofficial rankings now have Tuivasa-Sheck leading the pack with just three rounds of the competition remaining.
The 25-year-old Otahuhu-product said it was "crazy" to hear his name being mentioned in such discussions, but insisted his focus was firmly on the bigger picture.
"Dad just keeps texting me saying, 'hey, get your head out of the papers'," Tuivasa-Sheck responded. "All that stuff doesn't matter, because one bad performance and nobody really cares anymore.
"My head's just all about preparation and getting the team ready to go."
Aussie rugby league commentator Andrew Voss is one high-profile pundit to throw his support behind Tuivasa-Sheck.
"It'll come as no surprise to me if, in a month's time, [Tuivasa-Sheck] is named as the Dally M Medal winner," wrote Voss in his weekly column for Fox Sports.
"He is having a superb season for the finals-bound Warriors."
The last time a Warriors player featured in the top 10 of the voting was prop Steve Price in 2007.
Tuivasa-Sheck has been in outstanding touch this year, recapturing the form that saw him named the NRL's Fullback of the Year in 2013. He's a been a key ingredient in the Warriors resurgence, leading the way for his side, as they edge towards securing their first finals berth since 2011.
Per NRL.com, he currently leads the competition in kick-return metres (1091), lies third in total run metres (3490) and fourth in tackle breaks (100).
The ever-humble Kiwis stalwart refused to discuss how much receiving such an accolade would mean to him.
"No comment on that. I'm just trying to stay grounded and focused on my game here."
Teammate Blake Green was more than willing to sing his skipper's praises.
"He's been fantastic," said Green. "He's a good leader now, but in a few year's time, he's going to be one hell of a footy player and a really big leader for this club.
"He's so hard to handle one-on-one and in space… the more he can run the footy for us, the better our team's going to go.
"I'm really pleased we've locked him up for another four years and nobody else can steal him from us."
Only two New Zealanders have ever been awarded the prestigious prize - Gary Freeman (1992) and Jason Taumalolo (2016).
Half Shaun Johnson said he'd be surprised if Tuivasa-Sheck's name isn't there or thereabouts, come awards time, making special mention of the example his Kiwi cohort sets for the squad on a daily basis.
"His influence on the group, in terms of competing on every play, fighting for every little bit he gets, that's probably the biggest thing as a teammate that we take from him," said Johnson.
"He's always growing and he's always looking to be better. We look up to him and he sets the standard with the 'better never stops' mentality."
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