It's only round two but Zac Lomax has declared his St George Illawarra teammate and wingman Mikaele Ravalawa can become the NRL's Ken Irvine Medallist this season.
But first the big Fijian will have his work cut out ahead of his much anticipated clash with Brian To'o.
Ravalawa's duel with To'o shapes as one of the most enticing prospects of Friday night's match-up between Penrith and the Dragons at Kogarah, with the merged club honouring the late Norm Provan.
The 97kg To'o is widely regarded as one of the most powerful wingers in the NRL, with the Penrith pocket rocket running more metres and busting more tackles than all full-time wingers last year.
But in 106kg Ravalawa, he has something close to his match as they mark each other for the first time on Friday.
Ravalawa scored a hat-trick in last week's first-start win over the Warriors, taking his impressive career tally to 41 tries in 52 games.
It's also often forgotten he is just five years into his rugby league career, after making the switch from union in 2017.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up try scorer of the year," Lomax said.
"He's a big body and you don't need to give him too much room.
"We just have to be in the right position at the right time and put yourselves in position (to score). Mika does that and I do too.
"He's so big, powerful, strong and he's so athletic too. You just have to give him a little bit of the ball and he'll do the rest."
If Ravalawa was to top the try-scoring charts, he would be the first Dragon to do so since Brett Morris in 2009.
His influence will also be even more crucial on Friday night, with Penrith among the best in the game at dominating territory by kicking to corners.
They were able to subdue Manly in round one by constantly kicking to right winger Jason Saab, limiting him to just five metres a run.
Penrith's left-footed halves mean that will likely be the case again, with the Dragons well aware Ravalawa must provide more to kickstart their sets.
"He's so good for us out the back of the field, because he's a big body he just brings the ball back so hard," Lomax said.
Moses Suli can add weight to his public desire of playing State of Origin this year as he marks up against Stephen Crichton on the Dragons' left.
"I want to prove everyone wrong, especially all the haters," Suli said this week.
"I reckon (I can play for NSW). It's a goal for me to play Origin footy.
"I know it's tough, especially with Turbo (Trbojevic) and Latrell (Mitchell) there. I know it will be tough for me, but I definitely want to play Origin.
"I know I can play that type of football."
