Hailed for his bravery after playing with a broken wrist, Dylan Napa could still find little consolation following his second half no show in Queensland's State of Origin mauling in Perth.
Teammate Tim Glasby has toasted Canterbury prop Napa for running out with the fracture in game two on Sunday night.
Yet Napa cut a frustrated figure after being hooked at the 22nd minute and not being seen again in NSW's 38-6 thumping of the Maroons at Optus Stadium.
Napa ran just 28m before being benched and could only look on helplessly from the sidelines as the Blues pack dominated.
At first the Bulldogs firebrand tried to be diplomatic, saying his fracture was not to blame for his lack of minutes.
"The wrist is fine," Napa said.
"Obviously I would have liked to get back out there but we were chasing points in the second half and it wasn't to be.
"I just didn't get the call out. It is what it is."
But asked if he wanted another chance in next month's game three in Sydney, Napa's frustration appeared to boil over.
"Stupid question," he said.
"Of course I want to start with Josh (Papalii) again in front row. Our start (on Sunday) wasn't up to par for Queensland, not up to standard.
"But it has happened now and all we can do is prepare for game three."
For the record Queensland coach Kevin Walters said he opted not to unleash Napa after they fell behind 18-6 at halftime.
"We couldn't get him on in the second half. We were chasing points so we put (bench utility) Moses Mbye on to see what he could do.
"He (Napa) is fine. We just couldn't get him back on."
But just getting on the field earned plaudits from teammates after he came into game two camp with the broken wrist.
"He showed a lot of courage to get out there," Glasby said.
"He had a bad wrist but he was adamant from the start that he would be right to play.
"He worked hard to prove he would be right to play. It just goes to show how tough he is - that's the great Queensland attitude for you."
Walters refused to blame Queensland's injury hit lead-up for their horror loss.
Besides Napa, captain Daly Cherry-Evans (shoulder/ankle), centre Dane Gagai (virus) and fullback Kalyn Ponga (calf) were concerns.
"We don't put players out on the field who aren't 100 per cent fit. They were all ready to go - it is just their minds weren't," Walters said.
