His decision to shun social media meant he knew nothing of the barbs levelled at his new club before he arrived. And Cameron McInnes has urged his Dragons teammates to stop thumbing on their phones and start talking to become one of the tightest sides in the NRL.
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Relishing a new lifestyle in Wollongong, which also spurred him to propose to his long-time partner Rachel atop one of the city's lookouts, McInnes' probing dummy-half play isn't the only culture change the ex-Rabbitoh has brought to the joint venture.
The 23-year-old has axed all his social media accounts and has helped foster greater communication in a squad boasting several new faces in 2017.
And on the evidence of a round one beating of pre-season premiership favourites Penrith it's working.
"Like everybody you get too attached to your phone and I asked myself, 'what are you on it for?' I don't get my motivation from putting photos up of me doing things and I don't need to show people what I'm doing," McInnes said. "And to be honest, I don't really care what other people are doing either.
"I like to stay in my own little bubble and it keeps your mind clearer. You don't have to listen to criticism and other things that might not be true. For me, that works.
"All meeting rooms [are phone free] and at lunchtime we make sure we're off the phones and talking. It's only small things like that [which help]. You just get to know each other better and it's hard to get to know each other when you get caught up in your phone."
It is only a small sample size, but the Dragons' summer recruitment blitz, which netted McInnes, out-of-favour Raider Paul Vaughan and ex-Titan Nene McDonald, might have been a good one if their opening-round performance is any guide.
And they will all wear the Red V for the first time in Wollongong on Sunday night hoping to end the Dragons' four-game losing run against the Eels.
Not that McInnes expects anything less than a team capable of playing finals football, despite the doom and gloom that has hovered over the Dragons since the end of last year.
"To be honest, my perception [of the Dragons] was different to the wider public," he said. "When I arrived here and heard people say stuff about Mary [coach Paul McGregor] ... I honestly had no idea.
"We definitely see ourselves as a finals footy team at least. Now it's about putting it together and building on that round-one performance. I'm sure we turned a few heads on the weekend, now the best thing is to back that up with another good performance.
"Just with the new faces ... everything's fresh for the boys that were here. Everyone's really close and we've had a lot of laughter and enjoyment. That's the big thing. Working hard is great, but you've got to have that enjoyment as well."
Parramatta coach Brad Arthur, whose side ground their way past Manly last week, was bracing for the Dragons to bring their power game again after beefing up their forward pack around McInnes.
"They played very tough [last week] and obviously their strength is the size in their forward pack," Arthur said. "They played a pretty simple game, but a very effective game.
"[Early season wins] are good for morale and good for confidence. It's nice to get a win in round one, but it's what you do in the next couple of rounds that is what is probably more important."
smh.com.au
