HE is one of the smallest forwards to play for the CSU Mungoes Rugby League Club, but Oscar Thorburn was big on heart and big on banter.
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That is why Thorburn, who spent four years with the club, has been named in the Mungoes team of the decade as lock.
Voted on by players - both past and present - plus previous coaches and presidents over the past month, CSU is now revealing the top Mungoes and Mungals from the past 10 years.
Thorburn's was the first name revealed.
"I'm absolutely proud. Danimal - his name is Daniel Organ but we call him Danimal because he's an animal - he was one that I looked up to. Even though I never played with him, I heard a lot about him. So with him being in the mix I'm pretty honoured," Thorburn said of his selection.
With the 2020 Mid West League season currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the team of the decade idea sprung up as a way to keep people involved.
Thorburn said it was a great initiative and it reminded him of some of the great Mungoes talents he called team-mates.
"Without being able to play footy it's good for the club to be able to keep a bit relevant and engage with the players and let them know we are a proud club with a lot of good history," he said.
"The beauty of being the uni team is you get a lot of local guys who are unreal, but you also get a lot of these kids that are coming through and are genuinely talented.
"Every position was hotly contest and some of those [shortlisted] names - there was some Mungoes royalty there, that's for sure.
"I've got four guys there who would easily be in the top five or six guys I've ever played with, I played for another club back home for the better part of 10 years. So I've seen my fair share of good players and see a lot of players who have gone very far in footy.
"Blake Dean, Tom McDevitt, Billy Dickinson and Regan Hughes - those four are something else."
Thorburn himself was an inspiration for the club from 2016-19. While more often than not he lined up against forwards much bigger than himself, he ran hard, tackled hard and wasn't afraid to offer his opponents - or officials - some 'helpful' advice along the way.
"It's something I had to deal with all of my footy life, but after being rag-dolled around you learn to play to your strengths and not have too many hit-ups at the 130 kilo front rowers," Thorburn laughed.
"If I had to pick just one highlight, it would 100 percent be winning the comp last year. It was always something I wanted to do.
"I think I made three grand finals and to win the last one in my last year of footy is definitely something I'll always remember. It was a great bunch of blokes."
As well as Thorburn being revealed as lock in the Mungoes' team, of the decade, two-time premiership winner Tom Adams has been announced as one of the props.
He spent four seasons with the Mungoes between 2011-14 and was a three-time forward of the year winner.
As for the Mungals, Emily Warner was voted into the fullback role. Not only was she a prolific try-scorer, but she also coach CSU Blue to a league tag grand final.
More players will be revealed over the coming month.
