Roosters veteran Daniel Tupou doesn’t show much emotion on the field even after he scores one of his trademark tries off a high kick, but you couldn’t wipe the smile off his face when he was asked about teammate Robert Toia, who will make his State of Origin debut on Wednesday night. Still only 20 and with just 10 NRL appearances next to his name, Toia was the bolter in the Maroons squad with outside back hopefuls Murray Taulagi and Selwyn Cobbo unavailable. Toia has shown in his limited opportunities just how talented he is, with the Roosters centre breaking free with one of his first touches on debut to set up Dom Young for a try against the Broncos. It’s been a story of perseverance for the gifted outside back who has suffered two serious ACL injuries and a broken jaw in his rugby league journey, with Toia showing great resilience to never lose sight of the bigger picture. “Watching from afar, the extras he’s putting in after the adversity he’s been through is a credit to him,” Tupou said. “I’m stoked for him to get this opportunity early in his career, and I’m sure he’ll do a great job at home playing in front of his family and friends. “He sort of reminds me of myself with the quiet nature and how shy he is with the media. “He’s handled it really well. I messaged him to keep his composure and let his footy do the talking.” Tupou played 10 matches for the Blues and hopes to see Toia flourish on debut for the Maroons, with the young gun set for an outstanding career if he can stay as consistent as his towering teammate. “He doesn’t say a lot, but the thing about Rob is that he’s similar to ‘Toops’ in that they just go about their business and they are so consistent with their work,” Roosters centre Billy Smith said. “Like Toops has done for the past 13 years, Bobby for the past few years has been so consistent. He’s turned up to training even when things haven’t gone his way, and he’s just gotten into his work. “I’m a big believer that if you keep working hard and put yourself in good positions that good things tend to happen.” Like Toia, Smith has endured a horror run with three serious knee injuries. It’s why he’s so proud of his young teammate who has never kicked stones or let self-doubt creep in. “It’s cool to see someone work so hard and have not much happen for you with the injuries to now get the rewards,” he said. “That’s what Rob has been through the past few years, but he’s never stopped working hard. “To debut 10 weeks ago and now play some really good footy for the Roosters, and now he gets his crack in the pinnacle of rugby league. “It’s nice to see someone you love and respect get rewarded.”