KEY POINTS:
When Patrick Ah Van was younger, he and his brothers used to lay the mattresses on the lounge floor, shift the furniture back and play out their own test matches.
It was rugby league with trainer wheels.
These days the 20-year-old doesn't have any soft landings. His every move is analysed and scrutinised in wide-screen high definition.
The conclusion in 2008 is that he is starting to show signs of why the club rated him so highly a couple of years ago. Many thought he was the best young talent at the club and it came as no surprise to those people when he made his debut as an 18-year-old against Manly in 2006.
That potential hasn't always shone through, however. His handling, particularly close to his own line, has sometimes been Manu Vatuvei-esque and he's prone to coming in off his wing on defence.
He's often been the recipient of fans' frustrations, but this season a more confident and mature Ah Van seems to have emerged from pre-season training.
He's scored a try in each of his last two outings, including the match-clinching 95m runaway against Newcastle, and he's been effective out of dummy half.
He's also solid under the high ball, although he's peppered with far fewer kicks than his much-maligned colleague Manu Vatuvei on the opposite wing, and has deserved to hold down his place in the side.
"I reckon I'm a bit older and a bit wiser," he said in the lead-up to last night's game against the Cowboys in Townsville. "I try to learn off the likes of Ruben [Wiki] and Pricey [Steve Price].
"I'm calmer. Back in the day, I was all over the show before a game. I was really nervous. I'm not that nervous any more."
One of the reasons for that could be the fact he plays alongside Brent Tate on the right-hand flank.
With 120 NRL games under his belt, along with 12 State of Origin matches for Queensland and 15 tests for Australia, Tate brings class, composure and experience to the Warriors.
And Ah Van is one of the chief benefactors.
The pair room together on away trips ("Tate does all the talking," Ah Van said) and have developed a good combination on and off the field.
"I have always looked up to him, when he played at the Broncos. He played on the wing there and that's my position, so he tells me what to do and I listen. I take it in.
"He tells me to hold my width on the touchline and to keep close to him when he drifts inside. It's going well for me at the moment."
It's going well enough that he's keeping both Michael Crockett and Malo Solomona out of the side. Ah Van has never felt, however, settled in the side.
He played 15 matches in his first season and 12 in his second, including two nervy matches at fullback, and has now started the first six matches of this year.
"I've always worried about being in the team - it's still the same now. [Michael] Crockett and Malo [Solomona] are playing pretty well with the Vulcans.
"My goal is to play every game this year. [Coach] Ivan [Cleary] has a lot of faith in me and my ability to read the game. That's why I'm in the team. I read the game pretty well."
It might have been a skill he picked up playing with his brothers. These days they might be too big to go at it in the lounge but they are never far away from each other.
His older brother Ralph, 24, plays lock for the New South Wales Premier League side the Auckland Vulcans while 17-year-old Thomas has been in hot try-scoring form with six in three games on the wing for the well-performed under-20s side.
