George Rose quits the Storm ........ALMOST
How a brutal training regime pushed Melbourne Storm recruit George Rose so much that he almost quit
Read more: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/h ... z2tMb3qJO2
GEORGE Rose had penned his resignation letter.
The Manly recruit and NRL cult hero had it mapped out in his head exactly what he would write to Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy.
The 116kg wrecking ball’s new adventure in Melbourne over before it had begun.
The thought came to him in the early hours of a muggy December morning as he walked the dreaded 1000 steps in the Dandenong Ranges for a second time.
Rose had already hiked 44km through the day and night as part of a brutal two-day training camp that was sprung on the Melbourne playing group without warning.
A physically and mentally shattered Rose had his mind made up and wanted to jump on the next flight back to Sydney. “Seriously I had all sorts of demons on that walk,” Rose said. “In my head I was writing out a speech to Craig Bellamy telling him I’m out of here and how much I hated him.
“I was coming down the hill and I was thinking my legs are stuffed, I’ve ripped muscles off the bone, my joints are swollen. “It was a case of ‘Why am I here? I don’t need this and I’m done.’”
Storm premiership players such as Ryan Hinchcliffe labelled the hike the “hardest thing I’ve ever done”. Rose said it took everything he had not to hoist the white flag.
“I knew exactly what I would say to them – I was going to walk into (Storm football manager) Frank Ponissi’s office and sit Bellamy down,” he said. “I was absolutely at my brink, but I’m glad I didn’t cross over. “I had some crazy thoughts, but to come through it and not give in was a huge boost and I’m very proud of that.”
The big man is fighting fit after a gruelling pre-season like nothing he every experienced at the Sea Eagles.
“One thing that surprised me was how similar the two club’s successes had been over the past 10 years and how different they are,” Rose said. “They train really hard here and it has been one of the toughest pre-seasons I have had, if not the toughest. “It’s the culture here – it’s work hard and reap the rewards later.”
Rose is set to bolster Melbourne’s forward pack this season after shedding 8kg since arriving in Melbourne. There is no doubting the 30-year-old’s ability to turn games. Coming off the bench in last year’s preliminary final, the man known as “Gorgeous George” threw his big frame at the South Sydney wall with ferocity time and time again. He skittled the Bunnies on almost every carry to help lift his side to victory. Before Bellamy signed Rose late last year, he asked skipper Cameron Smith for his thoughts on the Manly hulk. Smith quickly urged the coach to complete the deal.
“Going off matches when we’ve played against George, he was always a handful and gave his team impact off the bench and momentum,” Smith said. “As a dummy half that is always something you are looking for in your forwards and there is probably no one better in the game at creating a quick play the ball than George.”
Rose has been involved in many heated battles with Melbourne over the years. But while his former club and Melbourne have long been rivals, Rose said he was always open to joining Storm. “Actually nearly every time I came off contract I looked at Melbourne as an option,” he said. “I always had respect for Melbourne even though there was that rivalry because I liked the way they played. “But I could never bring myself to come down being at one club for so long.
“I needed a change and what bigger change could you get than to come down here to Melbourne?”
With his big build and figure-hugging jumper, Rose is a much loved player in the NRL. But he is also an easy target for opposition fans. He said he was still getting used to receiving cheers from the same Storm supporters that used to berate him at AAMI Park. “Walking around signing autographs after the trial game last week, some of the Storm fans apologised for some of the things they had said over the years,” Rose laughed. “But it’s fair enough and it’s good the supporters have that passion. “To be cheered and not booed for once at AAMI Park was nice.”
Read more: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/h ... z2tMb3qJO2
GEORGE Rose had penned his resignation letter.
The Manly recruit and NRL cult hero had it mapped out in his head exactly what he would write to Melbourne Storm coach Craig Bellamy.
The 116kg wrecking ball’s new adventure in Melbourne over before it had begun.
The thought came to him in the early hours of a muggy December morning as he walked the dreaded 1000 steps in the Dandenong Ranges for a second time.
Rose had already hiked 44km through the day and night as part of a brutal two-day training camp that was sprung on the Melbourne playing group without warning.
A physically and mentally shattered Rose had his mind made up and wanted to jump on the next flight back to Sydney. “Seriously I had all sorts of demons on that walk,” Rose said. “In my head I was writing out a speech to Craig Bellamy telling him I’m out of here and how much I hated him.
“I was coming down the hill and I was thinking my legs are stuffed, I’ve ripped muscles off the bone, my joints are swollen. “It was a case of ‘Why am I here? I don’t need this and I’m done.’”
Storm premiership players such as Ryan Hinchcliffe labelled the hike the “hardest thing I’ve ever done”. Rose said it took everything he had not to hoist the white flag.
“I knew exactly what I would say to them – I was going to walk into (Storm football manager) Frank Ponissi’s office and sit Bellamy down,” he said. “I was absolutely at my brink, but I’m glad I didn’t cross over. “I had some crazy thoughts, but to come through it and not give in was a huge boost and I’m very proud of that.”
The big man is fighting fit after a gruelling pre-season like nothing he every experienced at the Sea Eagles.
“One thing that surprised me was how similar the two club’s successes had been over the past 10 years and how different they are,” Rose said. “They train really hard here and it has been one of the toughest pre-seasons I have had, if not the toughest. “It’s the culture here – it’s work hard and reap the rewards later.”
Rose is set to bolster Melbourne’s forward pack this season after shedding 8kg since arriving in Melbourne. There is no doubting the 30-year-old’s ability to turn games. Coming off the bench in last year’s preliminary final, the man known as “Gorgeous George” threw his big frame at the South Sydney wall with ferocity time and time again. He skittled the Bunnies on almost every carry to help lift his side to victory. Before Bellamy signed Rose late last year, he asked skipper Cameron Smith for his thoughts on the Manly hulk. Smith quickly urged the coach to complete the deal.
“Going off matches when we’ve played against George, he was always a handful and gave his team impact off the bench and momentum,” Smith said. “As a dummy half that is always something you are looking for in your forwards and there is probably no one better in the game at creating a quick play the ball than George.”
Rose has been involved in many heated battles with Melbourne over the years. But while his former club and Melbourne have long been rivals, Rose said he was always open to joining Storm. “Actually nearly every time I came off contract I looked at Melbourne as an option,” he said. “I always had respect for Melbourne even though there was that rivalry because I liked the way they played. “But I could never bring myself to come down being at one club for so long.
“I needed a change and what bigger change could you get than to come down here to Melbourne?”
With his big build and figure-hugging jumper, Rose is a much loved player in the NRL. But he is also an easy target for opposition fans. He said he was still getting used to receiving cheers from the same Storm supporters that used to berate him at AAMI Park. “Walking around signing autographs after the trial game last week, some of the Storm fans apologised for some of the things they had said over the years,” Rose laughed. “But it’s fair enough and it’s good the supporters have that passion. “To be cheered and not booed for once at AAMI Park was nice.”
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"Since light travels faster than sound, people appear bright until you hear them speak" Anon
"Since light travels faster than sound, people appear bright until you hear them speak" Anon
If he wasn`t prepared to put the hard work in then I would`ve been glad if he quit. We don`t want quitters in our side. It will make him a better player in a tight game.
Good luck Gorgeous George for 2014
Good luck Gorgeous George for 2014