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Star Irish fullback Rob Kearney hopes to impart a winning mentality at the Western Force after joining the franchise on a one-year deal.
He went from freezing conditions in Ireland to bench pressing his own hotel bed in Brisbane, but Irish rugby legend Rob Kearney was all smiles when he finally met his new Western Force teammates in Perth on Tuesday.
Kearney has spent his entire club life at Irish outfit Leinster and the star fullback jumped at the chance to experience something new when the Force came knocking in August.
Signing on the dotted line was easy, but getting to Perth amidst a global pandemic proved to be tricky.
Kearney eventually touched down in Brisbane last month when he was forced to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks with his fiance Jess Redden.
The pair got creative while in quarantine with Kearney even resorting to bench pressing the bed.
"It wasn't heavy enough," Kearney said with a laugh.
"I think I've lost a kilo or two after the few weeks quarantine. So I'll be asking the boys to stack on more weight.
"I had a good pal who I used to play Rugby Union with - Ben Te'o. He's with the Broncos at the moment and he dropped some equipment to me, a rower and TherraBands.
"When you're forced to have to adapt, you can make sessions up pretty quickly and you can surprise yourself with how much work you can get done in a small room.
"My fiance is hugely into her fitness and she regularly ran 10, 12km a day in the bedroom, which put me to shame."
Kearney, who arrived in Perth on Monday, said the safety Australia provided from COVID-19 plus its hotter climate were major drawcards in him signing with the Force.
He hopes to not only play a key role on the field but also help develop the club's younger players.
"I'm very lucky that I've come from some teams and some cultures where we've won a lot of trophies and silverware," Kearney said.
"Hopefully I can incorporate some of that winning mindset and what it takes to be a real high-performance team."
Kearney finished up with Leinster in September and said he would gradually build up his loads over the coming weeks.
The 34-year-old is a rugby legend in his country, having made 95 Test appearances for Ireland and earning three Test caps for the British and Irish Lions.
Kearney's arrival further bolsters a Force squad that went on a signing spree during the off-season.
Argentinian internationals Tomas Cubelli, Julian Montoya, Tomas Lezana, Santiago Medrano and Domingo Miotti have all signed, as well as Wallabies duo Tevita Kuridrani and Tom Robertson.
Former All Blacks Richard Kahui and Jeremy Thrush have re-signed from last year, giving the Force a huge international flavour.
