KEY POINTS:
You could be forgiven thinking Steve Price is a machine, until you meet the bloke.
A look through his game statistics draws something like disbelief: 32 tackles and 131 metres gained for Queensland as they beat New South Wales in Origin 2, then two days later leading the
Warriors to victory over the Sharks with 19 tackles and 32 carries for 306m.
The latter is a confirmed NRL all-time record for a forward and seventh on the all-up list, including backs. Of the top-20 games recorded for forwards, Price's name features eight times.
Whatever the Warriors are paying him, he's proved he's well worth it.
The leadership role he has taken with the team and the up-and-coming props in particular will serve the club well long after he finishes playing the one year left on his contract.
Price is adamant the Warriors have to improve further to beat the Panthers tonight and that they are capable of that and pushing on into the semifinals.
He has real motivation in wanting to regain his test jersey and sees winning with the Warriors as the way to prove he can't be left out as he was last season.
Being out of the top-eight was the most disappointing thing for him towards the end of the six long weeks of defeats, he says.
Goals for the season: "First and foremost I want to get the Warriors in the semis. I want to put my hand up and excite the selectors."
Asked if the 33-year-old perceived any bias from the Kangaroos coach because of his age, he says: "You'd have to ask Ricky [Stuart] that. All I know is I aspire to play for my country."
He doesn't want to finish his test career with the memory of a 25-blot loss to the Kiwis.
"That hurt. I feel like the guys that lost that game are the ones that have been dropped. It was a combination of us not playing our best and the Kiwis playing very well that day. You don't want to finish your career like that."
Price has a long list of reasons for his longevity in the game and pushing on to his best form at the back end of a long career. "As you get older you get to know your body better. I make sure I eat well, sleep well. I go to the chiropractor once a week or sometimes two, depending who we played.
"Massage. It's like a car, get it serviced regularly and it goes better.
"My family life is brilliant. I'm studying for a masters in business management and that gives me something outside the game - you need an outlet outside footy."
He has completed six of 12 required papers since joining the Warriors in 2005. Ultimately, he'd like to join the NRL management and take David Gallop's job as chief executive.
"I know you can't do that straight away. I've got to work in the corporate world first. I love the game and it is something I'd like to do."
He's preparing well, a planned buildup, just like his footy.
"When you go on the field, if you have prepared well your confidence will be good. There's no excuses."
For bad performance, he means. Not even playing in the tough interstate game two nights before.
"We're lucky in the Queensland team, the staff are making sure you eat straight after the game, giving you massage, making sure you go back to your club in as good a condition as possible."
Price says he doesn't buy into the debate about the space between games.
"It's how you prepare. You know the schedule, it makes no difference how many days [between games]."
"As the season goes on you get match-fitter.
"You never want to feel sorry for yourself, it's not a good way to go into the game. As captain you depend a lot on your teammates. I didn't want to let them down," he says of the Warriors-Sharks game last Friday.
Which is typical of the man. He gives freely of his time for fans and for charity. He feels the responsibility of being a role model and wants to fulfil it.
Auckland suits him and his family just fine. And that's a happy distance from having to to front for the Bulldogs on damage control as his old club deals with two more alcohol-related incidents.
Steve Price
Born: March 12, 1974 at Dalby.
Queensland junior club: Newtown Lions, Toowoomba
NRL debut for the Bulldogs: mid-season 1994
269 games
30 tries
47 games for the Warriors
8 tries
22 State of Origin games for Queensland 1998-2007
10 tests 1998-2005