It’s an asset which has allowed him to settle into life in the Hampden league.

But it’s a trait which has surprised Hamilton Kangaroos coach Matt Dunn.

“I coached him in junior schoolboys and he was a good wingman-rover who could get the footy on the outside and that was what I was expecting when he came back,” he said.

“Slowly we’re getting more outside football from him but he’s terrific inside.

“He’s leading our tackle count and works both ways. He is a terrific bloke, all the players love him.”

Ross, 25, said he embraced the challenge of playing on bigger, stronger opponents.

“I am not very tall at all. I have a basketball background, so traffic-wise it’s just my natural game to play inside,” he said.

“Sometimes it is harder when you come up against bigger bodies. I try somehow to get around it – sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.”

The Ballarat-based Ross, who grew up wearing Hamilton Magpies’ colours, is part of a new-look Kangaroos’ engine room.

“Brad Thomas has been coming through the midfield and he’s been really good, Hamish Waldron, the captain, and Rory Gill is a young 16, 17-year-old and he’s fantastic, just hard at the footy,” he said.

“We are quite lucky this year with the depth we’ve been able to find over the off-season to be able to roll through and not have such a drop off in our second string which is great.”

Ross spent five months overseas in 2017 and decided he wanted to play football at home when he returned.

“I am loving it. I have been wanting to come back for a fair while but haven’t had the right time,” he said.

“I spent six or seven games playing in the Golden Rivers with Quambatook before I went overseas and prior to that I was playing in the Central Highlands with a country club, Skipton, for a few years.”

Hamilton Kangaroos, who will wear special uniforms as part of their Pride Game celebrations, will attempt to win their third straight match when they host South Warrnambool on Saturday.

Ross believes the club, which is yet to play finals in its six seasons, is on the right track.

“I was looking through scores last year just out of curiosity and Hamilton had been flogged by Koroit and put away by a few other teams,” he said.

“But this year we’ve haven’t been put away. We’ve been in the games the whole way through. Getting the first win against Cobden was just a really good boost for the whole club really. At this point we’ve already got more points on the ladder than we did last year so that’s one box ticked off.”