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It's colloquially referred to as 'the big dance' so it's little wonder that Cowboys hooker Jake Granville has promised to bust out his running man routine so that his team can push for a second Telstra Premiership crown in Sunday's NRL Grand Final at ANZ Stadium.

When the Cowboys charged to their first premiership in 2015 much of the impetus came from the dummy-half running of the lightning quick Granville in what was his first full season in the NRL.

When the likes of Matt Scott, James Tamou and Jason Taumalolo rumbled forward Granville would poke his head out from the back of the ruck like a more mobile Dickie Knee and bolt headlong into a retreating defence to give his halves even greater momentum from which to play from.

During that magical North Queensland year Granville averaged 65 metres per game, a number that has shrunk alarmingly in the two seasons since.

Last year he averaged a touch under 40 metres per game while this year it has dissipated even further to an average of just 28.7 per game.

Only once since Round 14 has he run for more than 40 metres in a game and he recognises that now is the time to bring that element back to the Cowboys' attack.

"I probably haven't been generally as happy with my attacking game but I've been working on it and I'll be looking to try and bring that attribute for the team," said Granville, whose pure speed created the Cowboys' first try in the 2015 decider for Justin O'Neill. 

"It's something that's probably one of the better parts of my game, is running, so I'll have to work on that and try and take advantage of the opportunities that I do get.

"I can't really put my finger on [why I haven't been running as much] but I've been working on it the past few weeks.

"I probably just haven't taken advantage of the opportunities I've got so much. I haven't been the best at selecting my time as well as I can.

"Timing is everything and there are times when you shouldn't run so I'll have to not run on those.

"I'll be looking for those opportunities on Sunday to try and bring something to the team with my running game."

If anyone understands the importance of timing in rugby league it's Granville's opposite number on Sunday evening, champion Storm skipper Cameron Smith.

Largely lauded for his control of the ruck and thus control of a game's tempo, Smith has averaged almost double the run metres of the more fleet-footed Granville in 2017, his ability to pick his moment a facet the Cowboys rake admires greatly.

"He can control the game. He's so good at controlling the game," Granville said.

"We probably do have a lot different styles but that's one attribute you can pick from his game, the way he knows when to do stuff at the right time.

"Whether it's running or playing to a player or kicking, he's got that knack for knowing what to do at the right time."

First published on NRL.com.

Acknowledgement of Country

North Queensland Cowboys respect and honour the Traditional Custodians of the land and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and future. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on.