“DOMINANT but reliable” is how Zane Musgrove wants to be perceived during his time as a Warrington Wolves player.

Indeed, he has set his sights on making a similar kind of impact to teammate and fellow front-rower Paul Vaughan, who enjoyed a stellar first campaign in Super League during 2023.

Having turned out in the NRL for South Sydney Rabbitohs alongside his new head coach Sam Burgess before spells at Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra Dragons, Musgrove penned a two-year deal to join The Wire and experience Super League for the very first time.

And he says the opportunity to be a part of his old teammate’s first senior head coaching gig was too good to turn down.

“I’ve come here for a reason and that’s to win,” he said.

“With the system Sammy will have in place, I really feel like it will get the best out of me and that’s ultimately why I chose to come here.

“Vaughany had a really good year and hats off to him. I only caught the last couple of games but I’d been hearing he was going really well.

“He’s such a fierce leader in our team and he leads our forward pack – to rub shoulders with him and take the field with him is something I can’t wait for.

“I want to be a dominant forward in the game, a bit like Vaughany. He’s come over here and has been very dominant, and that’s my style too.

“There’s a lot of young boys in the team and I want to show a bit of leadership towards them.

“I also want to be reliable – someone you know is going to get their job done. That’s a big focus for me.

“It was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. Sammy was a big influence as well as chasing success.

“This club obviously hasn’t got there yet – they’ve won the Challenge Cup but not the big one – but I think with the system we’ll have in place, we can do something very special.

“I want to be a part of that and I think it’s going to bring the best out of me.”

Musgrove arrived in England in time for the start of pre-season training – something he was “itching” to do after a long period of inactivity following the Dragons’ failure to reach the NRL Finals.

The usual adjustment period has ensued for the 27-year-old and his family, with plenty of “firsts” to get their head around.

“I experienced having frost on my car for the first time this week. I didn’t know what to do and I was panicking a bit,” he joked.

“We’ve settled in very well and I’m enjoying it. Everyone at the club has been so good to me and my family – they’ve been so welcoming.

“We’re training hard – it’s different for me but I’ll get used to it.

“I’ve had a long lay-off – I’ve had about nine weeks off so I was itching to get into training and back into a good routine as quickly as possible.

“I had been twiddling my thumbs at home and getting a bit bored, so getting in early was important. I wanted to get in and meet the lads.

“I could have come over on my own at first – there were options there – but I wanted my family with me. We’ve just had a newborn, so I wanted them with me.

“My partner hasn’t been away from her family for a long time – I’m used to it being from New Zealand initially so I’ve known how to navigate my way through being independent.

“It was a big decision but the club has been so good to us.

“My partner didn’t really need persuading – she was all for it as she wants to travel.”