There were plenty of eyes on James Tedesco on Sunday afternoon as he returned to the field following a disappointing performance in the State of Origin opener.
The Sydney Roosters fullback bounced back in style, bagging a first-half double as his team picked up a 25-24 win over the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs.
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James Tedesco rebounds from lacklustre NSW Blues showing
It was a night to forget for Tedesco as he made some crucial errors during the Blues' defeat to the Maroons in Origin I on Wednesday.
Whilst he picked up the most run metres of any player on the field, his performance drew plenty of criticism from fans and experts alike.
His showing against the Bulldogs on Sunday felt like a response to those critics, but the Roosters captain believed that picking up a win was the best medicine.
"I've probably carried a lot of expectation and weight on my shoulders," Tedesco said.
"So I just tried to get back to playing more natural, instinctive footy as a fullback.
"I felt like I did that today and that sort of brought out my best footy. I just wanted to lead by example.
"It's obviously been tough but I just wanted to let go of Wednesday night and enjoy my footy out there.
"And I was glad we won because I wouldn't have enjoyed it if we didn't win!"
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It has been a challenging period for the Roosters as a whole, with their last win before Sunday's victory coming in late April.
Tedesco felt that the Tricolours showed signs of a winning team despite some lapses.
"We were rolling really well and getting through our sets from our own end," he explained.
"Some soft tries made it go back and forth which was tough but because we haven't been used to winning lately - we had to keep fighting for it.
"In those last 10-20 minutes were stuck to our process and closed out the game really well.
"It's good to win - it's been a while."
Roosters coach praises 'champion' Tedesco
There are not many bigger supporters of Tedesco than his club coach Trent Robinson, and the Roosters boss was full of praise for his No. 1 today.
With Sydney in need of two points to re-spark their finals push, the 46-year-old felt that the Blues fullback stood up and steered the team to a win.
"That's what champions do. Teddy is never going to talk his way out of something - that's not what footy players do," Robinson said.
"Champions assume the pressure that's involved and they go: 'Okay, well all I can do is play. I'm just going to play and I'm going to show you what I can do.'
"And that's what happened. He carried us right from the start there today.
"He put us on his back and he played all different styles today.
"We needed him and he showed who he is."
