Penrith Panthers' young squad will be relying on the experience of Api Koroisau to help lead them to victory when they go head-to-head with the Rabbitohs on Sunday.
The 28-year-old rake is the only member of the team to have tasted Grand Final glory and is a crucial cog in the well-oiled machine that is the Panthers.
Just three months ago, his career was on the brink after Daily Mail Australia revealed he'd breached Covid protocols by smuggling a woman into his hotel room while in Blues State of Origin camp.
His wife, Amy, publicly stood by him in the wake of the cheating scandal, flying into the Gold Coast with their two daughters just days after it came to light.
But Koroisau arrived alone at last week's Dally M awards alongside some of his single teammates. It is not clear why Amy did not attend.
As Amy's fellow Panthers WAGs arrived at the NRL's night of nights in their best gowns, there was a deafening silence from the Koroisau camp about the mother-of-two's whereabouts.
His wife, Amy, publicly stood by him in the wake of the cheating scandal, flying onto the Gold Coast with their two daughters just days after it came to light
The woman who accused Koroisau of breaching quarantine said she met the footballer on Instagram in early June, and their communication quickly moved to Snapchat
The woman at the centre of the scandal developed feelings for the married father-of-two after several rendezvous and late night chats on Instagram and Snapchat.
She was under the impression that there was 'something special' between them.
It's taken months for her to get over the pain and embarrassment of the saga, and was initially disappointed with the punishment the NRL imposed on Koroisau.
He was fined $35,000 and suspended for two matches.
But the woman has no residual ill-will on the game and is still a huge fan, taking full advantage of Queensland's stake on the NRL in 2021.
She's been in the stands at her local stadium cheering on her team and - while they're not in the Grand Final - she'll still be watching on from home.
Koroisau posed alongside teammate Jarome Luai at the Dally M Awards after his wife Amy failed to attend
In a series of messages shown to Daily Mail Australia, Amy Koroisau told the other woman she was 'devastated' and considered leaving the marriage
After the scandal was brought to light, Koroisau claims he started the lengthy process of bettering himself.
'It's one of those things where I will keep working on myself every day, wanting to be a better person,' he told The Courier Mail.
'I've learnt a lot about myself through this season and had to learn a fair bit about me as a person... It's important that I keep growing.'
Koroisau confessed he'd faced an 'individual battle' but hopes to come out stronger at the other side.
His lover previously acknowledged that the backlash and 'public shame' Koroisau faced was significant.
The woman, who does not want to be identified, was surprised she was never contacted by integrity unit officials to provide a statement about the details of the rendezvous inside the team hotel.
Penrith Panthers' young squad will be relying on the experience of Api Koroisau to help lead them to victory when they go head-to-head with the Rabbitohs on Sunday
'I'm shocked by the NRL just going off Api's word... Trusting a guy who brought me into camp twice and a planned third time,' she said.
The woman claims she was smuggled into the Blues hotel on June 20 in Homebush and on June 27 - the day of State of Origin 2 - in Brisbane.
She eventually admitted the affair to Koroisau's wife, who was shattered when she heard of the allegations.
Koroisau's punishment aligns with what Jai Arrow received for a similar indiscretion, but the woman involved says she doesn't think two games on the sideline 'teaches these guys a lesson'.
While she doubts the punishment will be a deterrent, the woman said she hopes there will be no further breaches - of the bubble or trust within a relationship.
The woman claims she was charmed by Koroisau and quickly developed feelings for him before he suddenly deleted his Snapchat account and told her not to contact him on Instagram in case his wife saw the messages.
Daily Mail Australia understands Koroisau sent grovelling texts (pictured) to his wife after she was told of the incident with the woman during State of Origin
Koroisau issued a grovelling apology after the fact while Amy admitted she was 'immensely hurt' by the revelations.
'I made the choice to do the wrong thing and my actions have brought shame and embarrassment to many people, especially my wife and children. I will be forever sorry,' the footy player said.
He apologised to the fans for putting the game at risk and
