![Adopted as a baby, Dave Murnane is rooted to the country lifestyle. Picture by Mark Bode Adopted as a baby, Dave Murnane is rooted to the country lifestyle. Picture by Mark Bode](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/KUhQizDbwW8WqAyPP4x5yp/134b7c39-4b42-43c9-a6fa-08b4ab59c2b7.jpg/r0_0_3266_1814_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Upon seeing this photo of Dave Murnane, someone remarked: "He looks like a rugged fella."
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Certainly, the 33-year-old - who hails from Aberdeen but now resides with his partner on a small farm outside Quirindi - is devoid of pretension.
With an electric-shock hairdo, a full beard and a hardy country air, Murnane leaves a lasting impression. Scratch the surface, and there may be a lovable larrikin inside him.
"I love me fishing and hunting," he said. "So I was up here doing that all the time.
"So I thought, 'I'm spending more time here than I am at home, so I might move up here.'"
I love me fishing and hunting.
At a frigid David Taylor Park on Saturday, May 18, Murnane bagged a double playing centre in Werris Creek's 22-20 win over Boggabri.
In the crowd were his parents, Mick and Sue, who adopted him from Sri Lanka when he was a baby.
"So I'm pretty Aussie," he said.
Indeed.
The farm Murnane and his partner live on is owned by a friend. They pay rent and look after the property and the cattle on it.
Murnane also runs his own business, DNM Fabrication and Maintenance. Previously, he worked in Hunter Valley mines.
![Murnane eyes a kick from Magpies No.7 Mitch Doring against the Roos in the last round. Murnane eyes a kick from Magpies No.7 Mitch Doring against the Roos in the last round.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/KUhQizDbwW8WqAyPP4x5yp/d5943212-7f34-4723-9735-6b8400c813d0.jpg/r0_0_3028_1962_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Anyone who needs any boilermaking or mechanical services, hit me up," he said, flashing a bright smile.
The "N" in DHM stands for Nadip - a common Tamil name.
Murnane said he had returned to Sri Lanka "a few times", but had never met his birth parents.
"I don't feel the need to. I've got my parents here," he said ahead of Werris Creek's top-of-the-table away clash against Moree on Saturday, May 25.
The former Northern Tiger won two first-grade premierships with the Aberdeen Tigers, in 2010 and 2017, after debuting in the premier grade at age 16. He also spent a season in reserve grade at South Newcastle.
Mick said he and Sue had watched him play rugby league "all over the state".
"We have to be [footy tragics]," Sue said.
Just like their rugged boy.