Mitch Moses has described how he was battling knee pain before pulling off the most crucial tackle of NSW's State of Origin success at Suncorp Stadium.
Moses woke up on Thursday morning to a bittersweet feeling, walking out of Blues camp with his arm in a sling after rupturing his bicep in the dying minutes of the win.
The Parramatta halfback's season is now almost certainly over, set to undergo surgery in coming days.
But it wasn't the only pain Moses endured on Wednesday night.
While he kicked brilliantly for NSW and scored the match-sealing try by stepping through Queensland's line, it was Moses's defence that arguably made the biggest impact.
Often derided for his defensive capabilities early in his career, the 29-year-old came up with a crucial chase and cover tackle on a flying Reece Walsh early in the second half.
The stop denied Walsh going the length of the field to set up what would have been a potentially decisive 8-0 lead for the Maroons.
Making the tackle more remarkable was Moses had been limping in back play for the two minutes before the effort.
"I'd just jammed my knee up a bit in the ground. I've been doing that the last few weeks. It was alright," Moses said.
"I was in a position there and I needed to make the tackle. I was lucky it came off.
"It was a massive team performance ... We wanted to come here with a defence-first attitude. We did that and they scored no tries."
The win put Moses in the most elite company, joining rugby league Immortal Andrew Johns and Ricky Stuart as Blues halves to win a decider at Suncorp.
"It's a big privilege to be with those names and be able to do it," Moses said.
"But it's not about me, it's about this team and what we're doing with this team.
"Our forwards were outstanding and our back five just did the job. Jarome (Luai) came up with some big plays."
It was only two years ago the Parramatta junior became a dad and took Parramatta to a grand final on the same day, in a come-from-behind win in Townsville.
But in Moses's mind, Wednesday night went close to matching that as NSW took their first win in a series decider at Suncorp Stadium since 2005.
"It's very close, very close (to matching that day in Townsville)," Moses said.
"It was a massive one. A decider, to do it in their backyard and come up with a win. It's unbelievable."
Moses's injury does add further pain to the Eels and their bid to avoid the wooden spoon.
Parramatta won just one of eight games while Moses was out with a foot injury earlier this year.
"I'm a bit upset, especially with how we're going at Parramatta," Moses said.
"To leave them dry like that, it's tough."
