Trent Robinson said the NRL will miss Mark Nawaqanitawase after the winger helped the Sydney Roosters reach the grand final.
The Roosters beat the Dolphins 36-20 in Friday's preliminary final at Suncorp Stadium, with Nawaqanitawase making more than 300 running metres.
He intercepted a pass to prevent a Dolphins try, ran 90 metres to score, helped set up Rob Toia after halftime and scored again through three defenders.
"Just playing, having fun and doing my job where I have to," Nawaqanitawase said after the match.
He added: "Everyone dreams of doing stuff. I'll be dreaming again next week, to score a few tries in a grand final."
Last year, he attended the decider for a Telstra promotion and decided he wanted to play in it the following season.
"Last year I was at the grand final doing a Telstra promo and thought, 'You know what, I want to be here next year'. And here we are."
Captain James Tedesco said, "The stuff he comes up with every week ... (I) haven't seen anything like it," praising the freedom behind his instinctive plays.
Nawaqanitawase, 26, will leave for Japan on a two-year deal after the season and plans to take a break first.
His performances could prompt Wallabies coach Les Kiss to pursue him for the end-of-year European tour, before next year's Rugby World Cup in Australia.
"Such a carefree, instinctive player. There's lots that goes into (his attacking plays), then he defends well and runs hard," Robinson said.