KNOWING BIG JOE
TITANS RECRUIT AT HOME:
JOE Greenwood’s footballing career dates back to a brotherly rivalry played out in the lounge room of their family home in the English town of Oldham.
The Gold Coast Titans second-rower remembers his love of rugby league burgeoning as a four-year-old when he and brother James – who is a year older and now plays for English club Hull KR – locked horns with the footy in hand.
“We used to play on our knees,” Greenwood said of their lounge room derbies.
“We were four or five years old and we used to play like full contact then. We had a tiny pitch but it was good fun.
“From four onwards, I was entirely into footy.”
Those scenes would spill over to the field of their junior club Saddleworth Rangers, where after matches they would play their own head-tohead contests.
He and “Jimmy” remain close to this day, keeping in contact on a daily basis.
Joe even admitted to trying to convince his brother to follow him in making the move Down Under.
“I always keep saying it to him, ‘ Jimmy, you need to get out here’,” he said. “You have to live your life and there is no better way to live it than out here on the Coast.”
Greenwood, in his own words, has been living “a dream come true” since hurriedly arriving on the Gold Coast on February 27 – on the eve of the NRL season kicking off – to begin a three-year contract with the Titans.
On the field, the hulking figure known as “Big Joe” has impressed.
Titans coach Neil Henry identified Greenwood as one of only two players who could hold their head high in the side’s 30-10 last-start loss to Manly. Chief operating officer Tony Mestrov added he is “frightened” to see how good he will be next year with a full off-season of improvement under his belt.
Away from the spotlight, Greenwood has relished the Gold Coast lifestyle.
“What’s not to love about it? You finish training and then you can just go to the beach, your mind can just be at ease,” he said.
“Coming home, rest, watch the sunset, have loads of barbeques … I just can’t speak highly enough of it.”
High on Greenwood’s hit list is to get some surfing lessons to address his “horrendous” balance on the board.
Making the most of the warmer climate, he also plans to get back into his beloved hobby of sea fishing.
“Back home it was just getting too cold to sit there … Russ (Titans chaplain Russell Harmon) said he is going to teach me the ways of the sea fishing out here,” Greenwood said.
One thing he will be looking to avoid a repeat of is falling asleep on his balcony at home, having raised eyebrows with a severe sunburn only days after landing on the Coast.
Greenwood, who grew to be a NSW supporter at State of Origin level, has long been touted for success on the football field. He was picked up by English Super League powerhouse St Helens at 16 and a year later was upgraded from their academy to the first team.
Expectation and pressure came with being part of a successful club. On an individual level, if Greenwood can keep building his NRL form, a callup to the England Test squad for the end-of-year World Cup could well be within reach.
“I was very disappointed (to miss the Test against Samoa) … so I am just going to do everything I can to get in the World Cup squad,” he said.