“When times are rough, you’ve got to fall back into your defence principles and make sure your teammates trust you.

“Growing up I wasn’t the most talented kid. I didn’t really base my game off making loads of line breaks and doing all this fancy stuff. I based it off being a hard worker and making sure every morning I wake up and I come to training and give my best and do my best. I think I’ve forged my career on that.”

Teammate Joe Ofahengaue, who was also one of the Tigers’ best forwards in their first win of the season, was full of praise for Twal ahead of the clash against South Sydney on Saturday.

“I love to call him a robot because he just goes through his business with no emotion on his face,” Ofahengaue said. “It’s crazy. He’s not going to miss tackles. He’s not the guy to come straight out of a line and hit anyone. He’s the guy who will cover your arse every time.”

Knocking off Parramatta has certainly eased tension after a horror start to the year which yielded five straight losses.

“Big relief getting a win on the weekend,” Twal said. “I thought it was one of my better performances. Just happy to do my job for the team.”

Ofahengaue said backing up the Easter Monday miracle has been the focus this week.

Loading

“A win means nothing unless you can back it up,” Ofahengaue said. “Souths are a lively and energetic bunch but if you take that away from them [and] you start to get into their heads, they can go away from their game plan. They’re a really good team.

“Shutting down Cody Walker is going to be a tough ask, but it’s what we’re going to have to do to win. Jai Arrow and Cam Murray add a lot of energy off the back of their runs. We’ve got a plan.”

Stream the NRL Premiership 2022 live and free on 9Now.