Rose was named man of the match in the fixture against the NRL All Stars, winning the Preston Campbell Medal for his barnstorming effort in the front row.

He helped lead the side to a 20-6 victory in a pulsating clash that, while not without its mistakes and early-season rust, showcased some brilliant football.

Along with fellow prop Ryan James, Rose was at the core of the Indigenous side’s charge, which saw them come back from 6-0 down to win the match with a flurry of late tries.

He didn’t have much time to savour the moment, as he and his St George-Illawarra team-mates boarded a plane to England the next day as part of the revamped World Club Challenge.

What made his effort so special was the fact that his side’s forward pack was almost non-existent by comparison to the opposition.

Veteran centre Justin Hodges, superstar fullback Greg Inglis and Melbourne three-quarter Will Chambers were all forced to spend time in the backrow on Friday night.

“I asked them the question and they said ‘yeah put me in’,” Indigenous coach Laurie Daley said.

“I don’t think they want to make a career change, but that’s the spirit of the whole week.”

The Indigenous team had a forward pack with just 241 NRL games of experience – and not one representative match.

Meanwhile, rival coach Wayne Bennett unleashed the “biggest, meanest guys I could” featuring 1618 first grade appearances, 58 Origins and 148 Tests.

Johnathan Thurston grabbed the post-match headlines along with Inglis for orchestrating the Friday night win in attack.

But the Test playmaker said the glory must go to their unheralded pack which he believed responded to a week of criticism by typifying the Indigenous All Stars spirit.

“You guys [media] were questioning us whether the game would be played with intensity,” he said.

“I think what you saw out there for a game in February was first-class.

“I was asked plenty of questions during the week whether we were skinny in the forwards.

“But they understand what it means to play in this game, to pull on this jersey.

“This game should be around for many years to come.”

Speaking after the game, having already done enough to earn whispers about the possibility that he could be a NSW State of Origin chance, James only had praise for Rose.

“Big Georgey got us going forward and I just went off the back of him,” he said.

“We just had to make sure they didn’t come through the middle – then the backs did all the pretty stuff.”