A week ago Tom Trbojevic carved the Cowboys up so badly that league legend Andrew Johns called for him to be NSW's fullback in this year's State of Origin series.
Now fellow former Blues player Paul Gallen has questioned the Manly fullback's ability to perform when the chips are stacked against him.
Trbojevic scored an early try in Auckland on Friday night but commentators noted he went missing during the second half as the Warriors shocked the Sea Eagles 36-16.
The gun No.1 made four handling errors as Manly fell apart at Mt Smart Stadium.
"The thing about Turbo is, as great a player as he is – and he is, I'm not trying to take anything away – he lacks a bit of resilience," Gallen told 2GB's Continuous Call Team on Saturday.
Tom Trbojevic of the Sea Eagles. Getty
"When something goes wrong against him or he's not feeling 100 per cent, his body language is all over the place and that was so evident last night."
The criticism came just days after Blues legend Johns called for Trbojevic to wear the No.1 jumper at Origin level this year.
Former NSW coach Phil Gould called it a "travesty" that Trbojevic – who has been injury prone and limited to 10 Origin games in his career to date – has never played fullback for his state.
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The Sea Eagles belted North Queensland in round one, but tumbled back to earth against the Warriors who scored an emotional win at home.
"A week ago I would have sworn it was going to be Penrith, Storm, or Broncos to win the comp," Gallen said on Saturday.
"The Panthers came right back to the pack, and so did Manly.
"We were talking about Manly winning the comp last week… if they lose Turbo they are gone.
"If they are missing (Trbojevic and Daly Cherry-Evans) they will struggle. They miss the direction from Cherry-Evans and the X-factor from Turbo."
Luckily for Manly it appears both Cherry-Evans and Trbojevic only suffered minor injuries on Friday night.
The Sea Eagles next face Canberra in round three.