He wasn't the first player to find himself in the sporting version of being friend-zoned. When you hang out in the company of superstars, it's inevitable you find yourself becoming something of a professional wingman.

Softly spoken, devoid of tattoos and largely left to his own devices in Townsville, he was slowly yet steadily proving his place in the NRL. But when you campaign alongside Johnathan Thurston every week, the shadow can be difficult to escape.

There's nothing to suggest Morgan really wanted to step out into a spotlight of his own, in any case. His teammates talk of a man who was comfortable in his own skin and never sought a position of authority.

Then his football started to do more talking than his mouth. State of Origin selection and a national call-up followed. Morgan was known as a man you could count on when virtually any player on the field went down, or when a game was squarely on the line.

In the 2015 grand final, while Thurston won it with a field goal, it was Morgan's brilliant, instinctive flick-pass that created the try to send it into extra time. He repeated the dose for his state this year, later crediting a background in touch football for the no-looker that sent Dane Gagai over for the telling try in game two.

Over the first two weeks of the finals, he has been not just a rock for the Cowboys but a star. With Thurston missing for the latter half of the season, Morgan has become the go-to player for a team that has so far refused to lose in the face of fancied opposition.

Along the way, he has become far more than just a helpful commodity that can plug a hole in the backline, or even the back-row if things are getting desperate. Ahead of the preliminary final against the Roosters, Morgan deserves to be spoken about among the best players in the game.

Earlier in the year, Morgan was reported to have backed away from any aspirations of leadership, while saying he didn't see himself as the long-term successor to Thurston's No.7 jumper, instead preferring a role at five-eighth.

Teammate Gavin Cooper felt the context of that conversation was lost in translation. Morgan, humble to a fault on occasion, just wasn't ready to see himself through that sort of prism.

"People took some of his comments out of context earlier in the year when he said he didn't want to lead the team. That wasn't quite true, it just wasn't how he saw himself," Cooper said.

"From our point of view, he's been playing Origin footy and playing for Australia. Sometimes you have to stand Morgo in front of a mirror and convince him that's who he is. That's how everyone at the club sees him.

"Once he saw himself in that light, his game has gone to another level."

Cooper is right and that's a problem for the Roosters. Morgan has become a halfback that can run like a centre and hit like a back-rower. He's unconventional but brutally effective. These days, he's becoming accustomed to being the man with the plan for the Cowboys.

"Having big-game experience plays a big part in that. You don't get to this part of the year and just decide you're going to do something when a game is on the line," Cooper said.

"He's gone through that before and fortunately for us, he's been able to get it done. We are going to need that again and some more."

Cooper believes Morgan's rise began when he was installed at fullback for the Cowboys in 2014. That gave all aspects of his game room to develop, turning him into a player with few obvious weaknesses in his arsenal.

"He's become the player he has next year and when Johnno comes back, his role will change again. Since his opportunity to play fullback back in 2014, that really was the start of the evolution of him as a player," Cooper said.

"From there, when he's had an opportunity he's grabbed it and run with it."

Every team needs a finish this time of year. Morgan hasn't blinked once at the role, sinking the Sharks with a field goal to add to his already impressive list of clutch performances. If his team can give him a shot against the Roosters, another grand final calls. This time it really would be a Cinderella story.

"He has come up with the goods in some crucial games. It's awesome to have players like that who produce those extra efforts. They're the players that you look to when it's in the balance," said Justin O'Neill, Morgan's North Queensland and Maroons teammate.

"I think he's really stepped up this year and taken a lot of control on the field. He's shown a lot leadership and really steered the boys around. This year was one of those years where development was really needed and he's taken big steps."