Jake Clifford missed out on Queensland selection, but the talk that he was in the frame lit a fire in him that produced one of his best NRL games.
The 28-year-old North Queensland playmaker will take on South Sydney on Sunday in Townsville with a spring in his step and a confidence born from his most recent display.
Heading into last week's Magic Round, Clifford's name was in the headlines for a mooted Origin audition with Sydney Roosters star Sam Walker.
Walker was selected for the Maroons. Clifford wasn't, but it was the Cowboys half who won the night in a display of pure class.
He picked up a maximum six Dally M points for his performance in his switch from five-eighth to halfback in the absence of injured Cowboys No.7 Tom Dearden.
