WANDERERS coach Dan Beckett half expects to walk out the front of No.2 Sportsground and see Sinclair George tying a horse up at the gate.
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George is a country boy through and through. His parents run cattle and breed campdraft horses on a property 40 kilometres west of Tamworth.
He spent a gap year working on a cattle station in central Queensland and often spends Uni holidays helping out on mate's properties.
It is that country spirit - rawness - that has provided a lift at the Two Blues.
"He is a real character and has brought this energy to the club," Beckett said. "In the pre-season we did some work with ropes and he was showing us all these different knots and lassoing blokes. He is a real John Wayne. We keep waiting for him to tie his horse up at the gate."
Sinclair, 22, joined Wanderers this season after two years at University, where he is studying business, of all things.
"I'm majoring in marketing and management and will probably get into agribusiness down the track," he said. "Charlie Mortimer and I came across from Uni. Charlie knows David Swain (Wanderers 2018 club captain). It went from there. The culture here is good. A bit like country rugby. There are no cliques, it is one big club."
Sinclair went to boarding school at Farrer Agricultural High School in Tamworth and toured South Africa with the NSW Country under-18s.
He has proved the perfect fit at Wanderers after the return to Sydney by Jack Young.
"When he first arrived I told him his job was to be that link in the team," Beckett said. "The more time he has spent around the group, we discovered that he is more than just a passer. He can snipe and he can hunt and he is tough. If the defence take their eyes off him, he will make them pay He is the complete package."
George has started every game for the fourth-placed Two Blues and is relishing playing behind a dynamic pack.
"We have some strong ball-runners in Ben Ham, Piers Morell and Blair Rush," he said. "They get us on the front foot and we can play quick ball off the back of it. There is also a bit of experience outside me with Luke Simmon and Luke Sherwood. They are always talking to me and helping me."
Wanderers are coming off a rugged 15-12 loss to Maitland in the mud and face another tough assigment against Lake Macquarie at Waratah Oval.
"They have an unstructured look to their backline which is hard to defend," he said. "Up front they are big. It will be a challenge. We switched off a bit against them in the first round (19-14 loss). Our intensity dropped, especially in the second half, and we didn't take our opportunities."
