RUGBY LEAGUE
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He admits he looks the part but new Dragons prop George Rose says he's not ready to be the bloke on the hill just yet.
He also admits he's no fan of preseason but it says plenty about the 31-year-old veteran that he'd still rather be fighting for a place on the Dragons NRL roster than topping up his super in the English Super League where the football would be easier and the conditions kinder.
"I feel like I'm nearly falling to bits," Rose said.
"It's been tough but it's been good. We're training hard and getting some pretty good results so I'm just trying to make it through to Christmas now."
He may do it tougher than some in the Wollongong heat but Paul McGregor described signing the 142-game veteran as a "no-brainer" for a club short on experience.
Rose said he clicked with the coach from their first meeting.
"What he wanted from me was what I wanted to provide for a club," Rose said.
"It's good to know that they were looking for size. Normally everyone wants to strip the size off you so to know that they want some size and some impact ... that's perfect because that's what I like to bring to a team. I'm not looking to try to be an 80-minute man or anything like that, I just know I can run hard and dent a few defensive lines.
"The great young forwards we've got here are fit guys and they can go all day and they've got plenty of skill and talent. If I can just provide a little something for them to be the best they can be, hopefully we can go places from there."
His sizeable frame has seen him become one of the NRL's most popular cult figures inevitably attracts a few jibes from fans - most kind, some less so - but Rose insists he enjoys them all.
"It's just the country we live in we all make jokes," Rose said
"I'm lucky enough that I get to do it. I might look like the bloke standing on the hill with a beer in his hand but I'm out on the field doing what they'd probably like to do.
"I'm happy for people to say whatever they want. I enjoy it and I enjoy my footy and I'll probably end up on the hill with them one day."
Jokes aside, Rose said playing 142 NRL games took plenty of hard work along the way and he knows he's got plenty more to do to cement a place in the Dragons 17.
"I've never had anything just given to me," Rose said.
"You don't just get given a start in an NRL team, you've really got to work hard for it."