WHEN Tony Williams was suspended for seven weeks following his dangerous throw on Sharks hooker Isaac De Gois back in March, George Rose sensed an opportunity. Not to take his teammate’s spot in Geoff Toovey’s 17-man squad, but the chance to get fit.




Rose knew “T-Rex” had State of Origin selection on his mind, and figured the man mountain would leave no stone unturned to remain in Ricky Stuart’s team calculations.
Rose openly admits he took his demotion to the NSW Cup hard, but got on with life.
“Everything happens for a reason, I dealt with the disappointment and got on with life,” he said yesterday.
“(Strength and conditioning) coach Donny Singe was always going to flog T-Rex so he had a shot at a Blues jersey.
“He worked both of us bloody hard. I am playing at 5kg less than I am used to, but it is all about adjusting.
“I had to force my way back in the mix, and now I have to stay in Tooves’ plans each week.”
Much to the delight of the Sea Eagles’ faithful, “Gorgeous” returned to the fold in the highly anticipated grudge match with the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium on April 27.
He performed strongly, laying on the final pass for Steve Matai’s match sealer late in the second half.
“I was pretty happy with how I went that night,” he said.
“I have slightly altered my game, my approach now is all about making smarter runs.
“I need to make the most of my minutes on the field, the coaching staff have plans in place for me to be more effective.”
Rose has gone on to produce solid performances against the Raiders and Broncos in the past fortnight, and won’t be resting on his laurels heading into Sunday’s danger game with the Sydney Roosters at Brookvale Oval.
“We are on a roll and need to keep it going,” he said.
“Hopefully I can have an impact.”
http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/george-seizes-chance/