It's been a challenging road back to the rugby league paddock for Chris Grevsmuhl, but the former South Sydney Rabbitoh is set to throw the boots on once more, this time as part of Willie Heta's Hawks squad.
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The 28-year-old decided to move back to Orange from Hughenden North Queensland so he could be closer to his two kids, and he hopes to re-discover his love for the sport along the way.
Formerly with CYMS, Grevsmuhl hasn't played a match since the 2019 Group 10 campaign, and while he knows he can make an instant impact as part of two blues' forward pack, he's going to have to do it 30 kilograms lighter than before.
Grevsmuhl attributes a lifestyle change to the drastic weight loss as he's cut out the alcohol and increased the training, most of it coming with Hughenden's local side.
Orange Hawks currently sit in fourth position on the Group 10 ladder, and already possess one of the most imposing forward packs in the league.
Throw a former NRL hard man into the mix, and you've got a hell of a handful for opposition big men.
I've got a lot of respect for Willie [Heta].
- New Hawks forward Chris Grevsmuhl
But, it wasn't the likes of Ethan McKellar, Rakai Tuheke and Nathan Potts who enticed Grevsmuhl to link with the club, it was his long-standing respect for Willie Heta.
The pair have a relationship that dates back to their time spent in Sydney together, and Grevsmuhl felt he was a perfect captain to play under for his "fresh start".
"I've got a lot of respect for Willie [Heta]," Grevsmuhl said.
"I've come down to relocate so I can be back closer to my kids, and I'd like to get back in touch with the social side of life, and I've decided that's going to be with Hawks.
"It's a new, different group of people that I haven't been around. I can create new relationships."
When an athlete spends time away from a sport, there's always a danger that he or she will lose that competitive edge, and while Grevsmuhl's a softly-spoken man in person, he knows that when the whistle blows, he's going to get stuck right in.
"I'm pretty blasé just sitting here talking about it but the second I get out there - I don't know what it is - but something clicks," he said.
"It's the same with anything. I'll turn up and muck around before the game but when I get there, I want to win."
He knows he hasn't had a flawless life off the field, but he can only worry about what he does moving forward, and isn't concerned about what opinions people might have.
"Doesn't matter what you do, sometimes you can't get rid of a certain reputation," he said.
"As I said, I'm here to be with my kids and I'm keen to play some footy as well."
Grevsmuhl is set to be part of Willie Heta's side that will travel to take on Bathurst St Pat's on Sunday, but he's not sure what kind of a role he'll play yet.
As mentioned above, Hawks' forward pack isn't lacking numbers but, given his a deceptively gifted ball-player, if the ex-Titans wrecking ball had the power to choose where he'd play, it'd be lock.
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