Cameron Munster and Kalyn Ponga are two of the hottest properties in the NRL and in the space of eight days they will have played against each other at club level and together for Queensland in the Origin cauldron.
Munster won bragging rights over his Maroons teammate when he led the Storm to an emphatic 34-4 triumph against Ponga's Knights at AAMI Park on Saturday, as the 24-year-old dished off three try assists and picked up two of his trademark one-on-one strips.
The in-form No.6 also played a pivotal role in keeping Ponga under wraps as the Storm made the most of a sloppy Knights’ outfit that could only convert 58 percent of their sets.
Munster knows the Knights are more than just a one-man side, but admitted he always had one eye on Ponga during Saturday's game and knew keeping the young fullback quiet would prove crucial to the outcome of the contest.
Match Highlights: Storm v Knights
"Your eyes light up when you see someone (Ponga) with so much speed and potential with the ball in their hand and I know I had to do my best to stop him and I was lucky enough to do that today," Munster said.
"But you're not always going to get that luck.
"I am glad he is in my side next week (at Origin level) and hopefully we can play some good footy together."
Munster said the Storm spent plenty f time in the lead-up to Saturday's clash studying tapes of the Knights' recent six-game winning streak and much of that video work surrounded what they could do to deny Ponga meaningful ball.
Munster shows his class to set up Seve
The next step was putting that plan into action and Munster said all the homework the Storm did paid off in spades as they cruised to a fifth straight victory.
"We knew the Knights had won six in a row and had been playing some decent footy, but we really pride ourselves on playing well here at our home ground," Munster noted.
"With Kalyn, he can step off both feet and skip, he can fend and he is very quick.
"You can look at as much video as you want, (but then you have to) go out there and try and nullify him.
"You can’t just focus on him, but you do look up and see where he is and try and do your best to stop him."
While Munster and Ponga are certainties to feature for Queensland, just what Kevin Walters decides to do with his forwards is less clear.
An ankle injury to Jai Arrow means there is now at least one vacancy in the pack and Munster has backed Storm teammate Christian Welch to fill the void if selected.
"If Christian gets the nod I will be very proud of him," Munster said.
"We are really close mates and I am sure his family would be really proud of him, so fingers crossed he gets picked."
