In hindsight, Adam Reynolds's masterclass in Brisbane's 32-12 win over South Sydney shouldn't have been that much of a surprise.
Reynolds did all the things he always does, all the things that made him South Sydney's halfback and on-field general for the club's most successful period in decades.
His kicking game was excellent, he led the Rabbitohs around the park with a true craftsman's touch and he inspired the rest of his team to a greater purpose like only a true leader can.
Brisbane has exactly what they paid for with Reynolds and the benefits are starting to show as the rest of the roster comes together around him. No rebuild is completed overnight and no single player is the hinge on which a club swings – it's an ongoing process, a journey that is complete with many small steps rather than one or two large ones.
Consider Te Maire Martin, who has shone at fullback over the last three weeks. Martin was resigned to his NRL career being over after he was diagnosed with bleeding on the brain three years ago.
Before his first-grade comeback, the only footy he'd played in recent years was muck-around local footy in New Zealand and a couple of Queensland Cup games.
Now, in an unfamiliar position, he is close to Brisbane's best every week. Martin looks faster than he did in his Cowboys days and his ball-playing from the back has helped open up the Broncos' attack.
Five-eighth will be his eventual spot and the idea of him linking with Reynolds is an exciting one – it's a classic runner/organiser combo, not unlike the partnership Reynolds enjoyed with Cody Walker for all those years at Souths.
Consider, also, Cory Paix. There is little that is fancy or flashy about what Paix does at hooker, but his service is clean, he has enough skill to put in a fine touch off the boot every now and then and if defenders are lazy, he'll take them on.
That might sound like a simple combination but it's more than Brisbane had in their dummy halves in years. Billy Walters might start at hooker, but Paix is this team's true rake.
Consider the improvement of Kobe Hetherington, Tom Flegler and Pat Carrigan, who have long had the ability they are now showing but manage to produce it each and every week – Carrigan in particular looks a different player in 2022.
Consider the resurrection of Corey Oates, who will surely land a new deal either at the Broncos or the Dolphins or somewhere else, and the rise of Corey Jensen, the club's most unheralded recruit in the off-season and now a fixture in their best 17.
Consider this win, away from home, came without Payne Haas, the club's best player, and Kurt Capewell, an Origin regular, and consider the physicality they played with throughout.
The Broncos refused to be bullied or out-muscled through this whole game, and that made all the difference. They played like a team with a lot of pride and pride is exactly what coach Kevin Walters is supposed to have given this fallen giant.
For the first time in a long time, Brisbane's future is clear. There is a visible path to the future, true blocks to build on. This win has them in sixth spot, a position they're unlikely to hold through the weekend but a position they scarcely could have dreamt of just a few weeks ago.
Once Haas and Capewell return, once Selwyn Cobbo, the club's wild horse who is still so raw but is capable of extraordinary things, gets more time under his belt, once Martin either settles into five-eighth or gets more comfortable at fullback, it is time to start aiming high.
This is beginning to look like one of those years where there are a couple of teams at the top of the ladder and an almighty scramble in the middle, where there's not that much of a difference between 3rd and 13th.
It is time for Brisbane to bolt from the quicksand and contend for the finals again, not limping in like they did on their last trip in 2019, but with a sense of danger, like they can do some damage, like they can break some hearts instead of getting their hearts broken.
When it comes to Brisbane, there is so much talk about the glorious winning machine they used to be and whether they can get back there again.
If it does ever happen, it will be a gradual process that happens one small step at a time — but wins like this one over South Sydney and last week's effort against Cronulla are those kinds of steps.
They are building blocks for a better future and the recruitment of Reynolds is part of the foundations on which they are built. The future is not now, but it is coming and the Rabbitohs' folly has proven to be an incredible blessing.
All Adam Reynolds needs to keep doing is what he's always done, and everything else will keep happening around him.
