Hudson Young proved to himself how much he has matured with a starring performance for Canberra in the days following his highly-publicised Las Vegas brawl.
Young and teammate Morgan Smithies caused the only major off-field controversy of the NRL's second Vegas trip by wrestling each other in the hotel elevator after a night out.
In years gone by, that kind of an incident would have motivated Young to come out all guns blazing at Allegiant Stadium, where Canberra met the Warriors to open the NRL season on Sunday (AEDT).
But Young, who bases so much of his game on effort areas, acknowledges that an aggressive mindset could also lead him to push the envelope too far in pursuing a big shot or kick chase.
Instead, he was instrumental in the Raiders' 30-8 win.
Young most notably nailed a kick chase that forced Warriors fullback Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad to spill the ball and gift Canberra their fourth try.
The 26-year-old made the second-most tackles of any Raider as Canberra completely neutralised the Warriors on the edges with a superb defensive performance.
Young has had his missteps in the past; he was suspended for 18 months after accidentally ingesting a banned substance as a teenager, and missed the 2019 grand final amid a ban for eye gouging.
But older and wiser, Young now feels more capable of handling his mistakes.
"Previously when I've got in trouble I've probably come and tried too hard. I feel like that's when things go wrong," Young said.
"I feel like that's where I have matured. Just keep level-headed, knowing my game and back my own ability.
"I didn't want to fall into that mindset of proving people wrong because I knew that I didn't do much to start with.
"I just wanted to go out there and play my game."
Young said he'd worked hard on himself off the field with the support of the Raiders, who took a chance on him after his drug ban pushed him out the door at Newcastle.
"The club have put so much faith and time into me and I'm trying to grow as a person off the field as well," Young said.
"I feel like that's held me in good stead for moments like this."
Young is now targeting a return to NSW's State of Origin team after former coach Michael Maguire dropped him for game two of the 2024 series.
His performance against the Warriors would not have gone unnoticed by new Blues coach Laurie Daley, who travelled over for the Vegas games.
"I feel like I'm an Origin player, an Australian player. That's the way I want to come out here and perform every week at the highest level," Young said.
"If I can put those performances in, everything will take care of itself."
