North Queensland Coach Todd Payten has heaped praise on the rise of star fullback Scott Drinkwater ahead of Sunday’s Queensland derby against the Gold Coast.

Drinkwater has been in unbelievable form this year, racking up nine tries, 22 try assists and 11 line breaks and was the 18th man for the Blues in State of Origin three.

It’s not surprising that on the back of Drinkwater’s form the Cowboys are chasing seven straight wins and Payten told The Continuous Call Team Drinkwater’s growth has been immense.

“I guess the easiest way to describe him is when I first got here he was a touch footy player,” Payten said.

“He played without fear, within the context of the game it didn’t matter what the scoreboard was, where we were on the field, he’d just have a shot at something.

“The past 18 months since he come back to the team, (in) round 5 last year, he’s really worked on making the right play at the right time.”

See more highlights of The Continuous Call Team below.

Image: NRL Imagery – Scott Davis