For Mitch Barnett, it's in his blood.
That aggressive streak, his physical nature - it's the way he plays. Always has been.
It's what makes him such a valuable member of a Knights forward pack that has struggled along with the rest of the side to consistently play to it's potential this season.
Ask Barnett about the NRL's big crackdown on high tackles and contact with the head and he says: "It is what it is. We have to learn to deal with it."
Just don't expect the Newcastle lock to tone down the way he plays because it's not happening.
"I'm not looking to change anything about the way I play but everyone obviously needs to be mindful of how things are policed now,"Barnett said.
"But for us, it's about our performance against the Cowboys and making up for the poor performance against the Tigers.
"I know we have had some issues with our consistency but what we dished up in Brisbane doesn't reflect who we are.
"But we have to prove that. It's about every individual in this team getting in the right headspace. It's a mental thing and we need to change that mindset and do it quickly."
Barnett believes the squad being in camp for the past week in Brisbane, on the Sunshine Coast and now in Townsville has come at just the right time.
"It was pretty tough and intense the first few days after the [Tigers] loss," he said. "Everyone was fairly down obviously.
'The review was pretty brutal and it was horrible looking at some of the stuff we came up with. But since then, we've looked to make things as positive as possible.
"Being in each others company for an extended time has been one of those positives. We've had a few laughs, we went surfing, me for the first time and we've trained really well.
"But it's now about changing our actions on the field. That's where it's at for us."
Barnett admits the Cowboys will be a big threat at home.
"Their position on the ladder doesn't reflect it but they still have a very good side," he said.
"Their forward pack is big and they've definitely got some attacking threats there that we have looked at. I thought they played really well against the Roosters and they will come into this one at home really confident I reckon.
"But for me, it's about us. We have to really stand up and show what we are about and what we stand for. We've done it before and know what we are capable of."
