Woods, who made a massive impact on the opening rounds of the premiership via his full-bore approach, revealed on the eve of Sunday's heritage round match against Manly there was a time when he was obsessed with all things Sea Eagles.

However, when given his chance to join them, Woods did something he hasn't done on the field.

The big man baulked.

"Couldn't do it," said the 23-year-old before listing the reasons why he stayed put. "Grew up a [Wests Tigers] junior, love the area, I'm pretty comfortable here, my family is here.

"It was a mental thing. I love to be in the comfort zone, so I stayed here. Also, the Wests Tigers looked after me. I had a few injuries and they stuck by me; guess I was ready to give back what they gave to me."

Woods's place in the middle of a packed Leichhardt Stadium on Sunday afternoon – where he'll match muscle with the likes of Anthony Watmough – is far removed from his youth which was spent travelling from his home on bustling Norton Street to Brookvale Oval.

"I was a Manly supporter, what can I say?" he said. "I grew up in 2040 [Leichhardt's post code] but I used to go to Brookvale every home game with my mum and dad but we'd go to Leichhardt Oval, too. Footy is in our blood, it's a religion in my family.

"I loved Steve Menzies, Watmough, Kennedy ... I was a massive Ben Kennedy fan, thought he was a genius. I based my game on two players [former international] Jason Ryles and Ben Kennedy. I really loved Kennedy's ability to make an offload in any situation; Ryles, he was just a massive front-rower."

Woods has forged his own identity on the back of his insatiable appetite for tough work.

Last season, he was viewed as a heroic figure in an injury ravaged Wests Tigers outfit forced to conscript young forwards to replace veterans even though they weren't ready for first grade.

This year, he's surrounded by a pack crammed with tough, hard men who refuse to take a backwards step.

"I can just worry about my line, not everyone else's," he said.

"Having Keith Galloway back helps because I don't have to get back to play 'ones' all the time. Then you look at our bench – James Gavet, Martin Taupau, Sauaso Sue and Ava Seumanufagai – it's unreal, I go into a game knowing my job and it's all I have to worry about.

"It was hard last year. I was playing a lot more minutes, 65-70. This year I'm playing 50-60 and when you know you're playing that long you feel as though you have a lot of petrol in your tank."

Woods was already being mentioned as the calibre of player needed to help the Blues break Queensland's dominance on the State of Origin shield.

While he's playing like a prop desperate to be noticed by coach Laurie Daley, he insisted there was a more pressing job.

"I'm just focused on myself and focused on being good for the Wests Tigers," he said. "I just train hard, play hard. I don't want any regrets when the game has finished. I want to know I did everything I could; knowing I left everything on the field.

"Playing in the State of Origin last year was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had – playing Queensland at Suncorp. I've had a little taste and want more."

Taupau, who played alongside Woods in the 2008 Australian Schoolboys team, said he was astounded by his upfront mate's development from occasional teenage "headache" to  genuine leader of men.

"He's a leader in our team, he's one of the young blokes but he's stepping up and leading the way," he said.