Benji Marshall echoed those sentiments during his post-game interview, heaping praise on how Makasini has handled the pressure coming his way at a young age.
"I loved it," the Tigers coach said.
"He's put in the hard work this pre-season and for his age, he's really mature.
"It would be hard being that young and getting all the headlines and trying not to read into it too much, but I think he's done a really good job."
After starring in the pre-season, Makasini now appears to be a shoo-in to line up for the Tigers when their regular season kicks off in round two.
Co-captain Jarome Luai, who admittedly likes to keep a lid on things, couldn't hide his excitement when asked about the prodigious youngster.
"I'll give him his raps - I'm probably a guy not to give him his as many raps during the pre-season, I try to keep him grounded," he told Fox.
"But watching him in full flight out there and watching him run over some of my old teammates from Penrith, I was in awe."