It was a stop-gap measure that ultimately unlocked the Dogs' best footy, with Fien's young side not dropping a game since. They'll be looking to continue that run in Sunday's decider against Wests.

"At the start of the year by no stretch did we think Crossy was going to be in the seven jersey at the end of the year but he's just a footy player," Fien said.

"He's one of those guys that can slot in anywhere and when it got to the point of the season where I was weighing up what we were going to do there I never doubted he could do the job for us.

"He's got a lot better as the season's gone on and that combination with Boyley [Jarrod Boyle] and the balance within our side now just seems to be right.

"We probably wouldn't think of Crossy as an out-and-out halfback but he's definitely shown he can play that role for us and he hasn't just ticked the box he's done it exceptionally well - he's mixed it with some of the beast halfbacks in the comp."

More than just halves, Cross has emerged as a Paul McGregor Medal candidate since making the switch he initially thought would be for a week or two.

"It was a bit of a surprise at the time," Cross said.

"As a young bloke I played a bit of ball-playing lock but that's be most of the ball-playing I'd done. I'd been playing back-row with Boyley on the left edge.

"We had a bit of a hole [at halfback] and Fieny asked me jump in there. I said 'for a few weeks or so?' and he said 'yeah that'll be fine' but it's stuck.

"It's been something different fore sure. Early on I was just keeping it pretty simple and just looking to get early ball out to Saxon [Onur] on the right there.

"As we've gone on, I started to understand how it all works and Fieny gave me a bit more responsibility in running some plays and I've just grown in confidence there."

LISTEN: Taste of Steel Grand Final edition

Crucially, the former Steelers junior has become a valuable foil for Boyle, with Cross saying the two-time premiership-winner was on board from the start.

"It helps having a five-eighth of Boyley's calibre, he put a lot of confidence in me and told me to back myself," he said.

"I played outside him [as a back-rower] a fair bit so I've got to know him pretty well and he was the first bloke to get behind me and back me. If I ran a play it came off he was the first person to get around me and say 'good job'.

"He's a dominant player and makes things happen exactly when we need them to so I just worry about my role and it's been working well."

Cross' season directly mirrors that of his young side, who've been on a steady climb throughout the year and will head into Sunday's clash on a nine-game winning streak.

"We could've gone two ways at the start of the year," Cross said.

"We could've got down in the dumps and been down on ourselves but we took the positives from it. We played the top two teams in the comp and only loss by a combined three points so we knew we had it in us.

"That second game against Wests at Wests [in round 11] was big for us. All week it was a big build-up for us, we knew they were going to come and be fired up.

"There was a lot of niggle and that sort of stuff in that game but we stood up and took it to them and we ended up coming away with the win. We've been building on it ever since and hopefully we can keep doing that this weekend."

A win would be a family triumph with Cross' father, former Steelers skipper John, coming on board as part of Fien's coaching staff this season.

"I played the one game with Dad at Port when I was younger and that was a great experience," Cross said.

"At the start the year he said he was looking at running the water and I said it was a great idea. He's not afraid to get stuck into me but it's been unreal.

"He hasn't been involved in a grand final since he was 14 or 15 even though he played all that footy. It'll be good to have him there out the back on Sunday."