Kye Rowles explains his attributes and how Aussie teammates sold Hearts move

New signing Kye Rowles has explained the attributes he hopes to bring to Hearts after being told by his Aussie teammates that the move was a “no-brainer”.

The Australian international defender says he has come to Edinburgh to challenge himself and improve his game, but is confident he can make a significant contribution to Robbie Neilson’s team when the season gets under way.

“I like to think of myself as a good teammate,” he told Hearts TV. “I try to lead on the pitch as well. Communication, that kind of stuff.

“I think of myself as aggressive and a player who likes to get stuck in as well. I’m going to try to bring those things to the table and work on a few things that I need to as well; get better and try to help the team as much as I can.

“I felt I was ready for the next step to push myself and take on a new challenge. I’ve had a handful of games back home and I thought, age-wise, I was getting to maturity level to maybe take the next step and that’s why I’m here, to challenge myself.”

The 23-year-old recruit from Central Coast Mariners had his run out in a maroon jersey for the first time on Wednesday, coming on as a 56th-minute substitute at Deepdale in the 2-1 pre-season friendly defeat by Preston North End.

He looked sharp and composed on the left side of the three-man central defence and is expected to feature regularly in this season’s starting line-up.

Rowles, who helped Australia qualify for the Qatar World Cup in his first two caps for the Socceroos last month, was an unused sub at Tynecastle Park against Crawley Town last week and is looking forward to getting out there. He is expected to feature on Saturday when Stoke City are the visitors.

Kye Rowles was an unused substitute for Hearts in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Crawley Town and can't wait to get onto the pitch at Tynecastle. Picture: SNS

“The stadium looks unreal and the pitch is quality,” he said. “They’re built differently compared to back home. They are proper football stadiums and I can’t wait to see it rocking.”

His arrival from the other side of the world took longer than expected due to red tape visa hold-ups, but Rowles is putting all of that behind him.

“It feels amazing to finally be here,” he added. “Unfortunately, the process was a bit tough but I’m honoured to be at such a massive and great club and I just can’t wait to get started.

“It’s been pretty rushed and full-on, but once you get into training you forget about all that stuff. I’m excited to get into training and get stuck into matches with the boys.”

Fellow Aussies Cammy Devlin and Nathaniel Atkinson have been helping Rowles settle in and also sold the club to him when Hearts made their approach.

“They said it is a no-brainer really,” he added. “They had nothing but good things to say about the club, the city and the boys. Once I heard that I thought it was definitely worth a shot.

“Those two boys have been a massive help so far and I’m sure I’ll have to lean on them a bit more in the coming weeks. They’re top guys and top players. They’ve been a massive help and I can’t thank them enough.”