diff --git a/service/storage_proxy.cc b/service/storage_proxy.cc
index 24dddb8e4a..eb18cf68c8 100644
--- a/service/storage_proxy.cc
+++ b/service/storage_proxy.cc
@@ -2141,16 +2141,23 @@ gms::inet_address storage_proxy::find_leader_for_counter_update(const mutation&
         throw exceptions::unavailable_exception(cl, block_for(ks, cl), 0);
     }
 
-    auto local_endpoints = boost::copy_range<std::vector<gms::inet_address>>(live_endpoints | boost::adaptors::filtered([&] (auto&& ep) {
+    const auto my_address = utils::fb_utilities::get_broadcast_address();
+    // Early return if coordinator can become the leader (so one extra internode message can be
+    // avoided). With token-aware drivers this is the expected case, so we are doing it ASAP.
+    if (boost::algorithm::any_of_equal(live_endpoints, my_address)) {
+        return my_address;
+    }
+
+    const auto local_endpoints = boost::copy_range<std::vector<gms::inet_address>>(live_endpoints | boost::adaptors::filtered([&] (auto&& ep) {
         return db::is_local(ep);
     }));
+
     if (local_endpoints.empty()) {
         // FIXME: O(n log n) to get maximum
         auto& snitch = locator::i_endpoint_snitch::get_local_snitch_ptr();
-        snitch->sort_by_proximity(utils::fb_utilities::get_broadcast_address(), live_endpoints);
+        snitch->sort_by_proximity(my_address, live_endpoints);
         return live_endpoints[0];
     } else {
-        // FIXME: favour ourselves to avoid additional hop?
         static thread_local std::default_random_engine re{std::random_device{}()};
         std::uniform_int_distribution<> dist(0, local_endpoints.size() - 1);
         return local_endpoints[dist(re)];
@@ -2206,6 +2213,10 @@ future<> storage_proxy::mutate_counters(Range&& mutations, db::consistency_level
                 return std::move(m.fm);
             }));
 
+            // Coordinator is preferred as the leader - if it's not selected we can assume
+            // that the query was non-token-aware and bump relevant metric.
+            get_stats().writes_coordinator_outside_replica_set += fms.size();
+
             auto msg_addr = netw::messaging_service::msg_addr{ endpoint_and_mutations.first, 0 };
             tracing::trace(tr_state, "Enqueuing counter update to {}", msg_addr);
             f = _messaging.send_counter_mutation(msg_addr, timeout, std::move(fms), cl, tracing::make_trace_info(tr_state));