The days may be hot and the training might be tough, but Brock Gray is determined to leave no stone unturned during his stint at Titans HQ.
Arriving from the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the full-season train-and-triallist is no stranger to the intense demands of a NRL pre-season though he isn't ashamed to admit the Gold Coast heat has caught him by surprise.
"It's definitely the hottest pre-season I've endured so far but I'm slowly getting used to it," Gray told titans.com.au.
"Training under Des (Hasler) has been such a tough but rewarding experience.. he's a great coach and I'm learning so much from him and the senior boys in that forward pack.
"It's just been great getting to know all the boys and training alongside side such world-class players."
Racking up 129 games in the NSW Cup and battling through his fair share of injuries, the experienced prop is determined to deliver the best football of his career on the Coast, with his move to join the Tweed Seagulls in extension to training each week at the Titans presenting new opportunities.
“I just want to put my best foot forward this year," Gray said.
“It was really tough missing nine rounds in the middle of last year but the boys helped me through it and I was able to get stuck in during the backend of the season.
"I'm really excited to start fresh at my new spot with Tweed in 2025 and play the best footy I can to hopefully make my Hostplus Cup debut."
It's no surprise the 28-year-old is eager to make a splash in the new year given his rugby league-mad family - his older brother Aaron played 49 NRL games and is married to NRLW Cronulla captain Tiana Penitani.
It's how he met his partner and West Tigers prop Natasha Penitani... which happened to be at a family get-together, but the younger Gray assured rugby league isn't a hot topic at the dinner table.
"Tash and I actually met during a family Christmas and have been together for over seven years now," he said.
"We all just spent Christmas together at my Mum's place down in Sydney but we don't talk too much footy at the dinner table, so there's no real rivalries going on."
