When Joseph Tapine arrived at Canberra from Newcastle in 2016 as a tall and skinny second rower with plenty of ability and even more to prove, there were two things he needed to learn to carry. One was the prodigious expectations that came with his clear physical gifts. The then-21-year-old Kiwi was rangy, skilful and aggressive. He brought some hype with him from the Knights and it can take time to get a saddle on all that talent. The second is a lot more literal — for much of his first seven seasons in the NRL, the last five of which came with the Raiders, Tapine didn't really lift weights. Pumping iron is seemingly a prerequisite to perform at any level of rugby league, let alone first grade, but for years Tapine barely touched a dumbbell or a bar if he could help it. "When he first arrived we quickly understood the potential he had. We understood what everyone was talking about, his athleticism, his physicality, that was really impressive," said former teammate Sia Soliola. "It was a great natural talent, a natural ability to play the game, how easily he was able to do things. "It wasn't that he didn't train hard, he always trained hard, there were just some elements of his training he wasn't on as much, and we knew once he did he would accelerate really quickly. "Lifting weights became a big part of that. He was naturally strong, and it's a measure of how good he was that he could still perform. "But when he put the time into the gym, slowly but surely, we started to see how special he could be." Throwing tin around, which he started doing in earnest midway through 2020, brought about a change in Tapine, setting him on the path which has led him to playing his 200th game for the Raiders on Sunday against Melbourne. It was worth the weight and the wait — now there's no load Tapine can't bear, no challenge he won't rise to, and no foe he bows to. Watch the 30-year-old stride forward, seemingly always keeping his feet as defenders cling on like children clambering over their father's back, watch him use his footwork to skate across defensive lines like a dancer, watch him pull off a piece of inexplicable skill like the wonder try he scored for New Zealand last year against Tonga, and you'll seeing one of the best forwards in all of rugby league. Tapine is always quick to point to Soliola as a huge influence on his career after the two played together from 2016 to 2021, but Soliola is just as fast to point out the efforts of others in Tapine's rise. "He'll be the first to tell you about how many positive influences he's had in his life, especially his wife Kirsten," said Soliola. "She's helped shape the man he is, he pays so much testament to her. When you have someone that supports you like that I guess you're not scared of anything." But Soliola was up close for Tapine's transformation from a fiery yet inconsistent backrower to an elite prop forward and, eventually, a leader of men with the process culminating after Tapine assumed the Raiders captaincy this year. "He's so well-rounded, he's the complete player for that position, and as a professional, he sets high standards for players to follow, which shows how far he's come," said Soliola. "There was a lot of talk about him when he arrived and when you're around the game a long time you see a lot of players come and go who are called 'the next Mal Meninga' or 'the next Sonny Bill Williams', and Taps was put in that category but you never think it'll happen until it takes its course. "He started to grow as a leader too, very rapidly. His game and his application, his desire to grow more, he came into his own. "I started to see Taps didn't just want to grow as a player, but as a leader. It gave him a lot of confidence, wanting to do that. The man Taps has become inspires me. "To see it happen, and happen to someone who really deserves it, it's nothing but love for the dude because of the hard work he's put in on and off the field, when he wins it feels like we who witnessed it are winning as well." In the years since he put it all together, Tapine has been at the heart of all the best things Canberra has done. In 2020 it was his incredible solo try that helped spur the team to a semifinal win over the Roosters — as he left some of the best defenders the two-time defending premiers had to offer grasping at shadows on a 20-metre cannonball run to the line. Two years later, with the Raiders facing the Storm in Melbourne in the first week of the finals, Canberra was holding out for a hero and it had one in Tapine. He produced the game of his life: running for 200 metres and accruing three line break assists, and a try assist, in one of the great front row performances of the modern era. Playing the Storm on home soil is usually a death sentence but Tapine turned it into a dream as the Raiders scored a famous upset win. That year was the first time Tapine claimed Dally M prop of the year honours, which he repeated last season. Individual honours can be rare for the Raiders, who can still be out of sight and out of mind for many, but the football which has become the norm for Tapine cannot be ignored. This year neither can the rest of his side, which has defied the wooden spoon expectations to sit in the top four with the equal most wins in the league heading into Sunday's showdown with Melbourne. It has been an impressive start to Tapine's first season as captain, and with attitude reflecting leadership, it's not a surprise to see the young side take on some of his own characteristics — namely, a ruthlessness, a willingness to fight to the very end and not just an ability to do whatever it takes to win, but an eagerness to do so. The way they play is not perfect and, like Tapine, sometimes Canberra can try to be too mean for their own good. But mostly the side are playing an icy, physical, hard brand of footy, stinging like a howling gale even when the points run hot. They're a reminder that winter is coming and that in some part of Canberra it is always winter. "What's stood out is how well and how quickly everything's come together. I don't think many people would have had the Raiders in this position," said Soliola. "Talking to a lot of the guys in the pre-season, they were happy with that — the Raiders aren't given a chance a lot of the time, and that can light a fire in the belly. "It's exciting to see it come together, especially for a side that's so young." For all he's done, Tapine still has more he can achieve, as leader and as a player. Soliola is excited about the possibilities he brings to the Pasifika community, who are seeing more and more of their own in leadership roles at various NRL clubs. "Naturally, and Taps would probably be the same thing, a lot of Pasifika people don't get to step into those leadership and captaincy roles because it's not in our innate nature," said Soliola. "So it's great to see Taps, Junior Paulo and James Fisher-Harris be those captains, it shows how much the Pasifika space has grown in the NRL. "They're going to bring about a change. A lot of Pasifika kids work well when they see things modelled. They see things done, then they can follow suit." In terms of pure football, the best days for Tapine's Raiders might be still to come. With six wins and two losses, Canberra are the league's curiosity, but a win against Melbourne on Sunday will earn them attention as a real premiership threat. The Green Machine don't so much fly under the radar as they live off the grid, but that won't be possible if they come through for the skipper's 200th. Given Tapine is one of just three players still at the club who appeared in the 2019 grand final, his young charges will look to him when it matters most, just as he looked to Soliola all those years ago. That's a lot to deal with but it's been a long time since such a weight was heavy for Tapine. Now, he has a whole club on his shoulders and as hard as that can be to carry, it seems to suit him just fine.