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Valynce Te Whare arrived overweight at pre-season training
The 23-year-old has struggled to keep his weight under control.
Wayne Bennett has sent him to training camp
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Wayne Bennett has told Valynce Te Whare to lose pounds to save his NRL career after the Dolphins cult hero arrived at pre-season training overweight.
Te Whare, 23, was pulled from Dolphins training and sent to personal training camp in a desperate attempt to control his weight.
He will spend a fortnight undergoing hard training from Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess in the humid Brisbane heat.
Te Whare enjoyed a superb 2023 campaign and became popular with fans due to his bull-like build and personality.
However, supercoach Bennett fears the youngster’s increasing weight could ruin his blossoming NRL career.
NRL cult hero Valynce Te Whare has been told to lose weight if he wants to play football
Wayne Bennett said his player returned to preseason training overweight
Te Whare finished the season weighing 125 kilograms and gained another 4kg over a weekend on the eve of pre-season.
Bennett had had enough and ordered his player to get back into shape, as patience was wearing thin.
“I’ve sent Val to get fit, that’s the situation,” Bennett said. news corporation of their star whose contract expires at the end of 2024.
‘He came back into pre-season too heavy and too unsuitable to play in the NRL at that body weight.
“He’s not doing any work with us at the moment, our priority is to get him fit, so I asked ‘Chopper’ Burgess for help.”
Burgess is a highly regarded conditioner and has worked with some of Australia’s biggest stars. The 63-year-old was a former Australian amateur boxing champion and served as a VIP protection officer for Bill Clinton and Peter Beattie.
Burgess has Te Whare train twice a day, including daily boxing sessions and running on the steep hills of Mount Coot-Tha.
“At this level, you can’t carry too much extra weight, not the way the game is played now,” Bennett said.
“You can’t hide out there, you need great fitness to succeed in the NRL.”
‘Val reminds me of Dave Taylor (former Broncos and Queensland Origin forward nicknamed ‘The Coal Train’).
He is training with renowned conditioner Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess.
‘Those guys are big men, you put them in a weight room and they just have to look at the weights and get bigger.
‘When Val played in the State League grand final the year before (for Redcliffe in 2022), he weighed 114kg…he finished this season at 125kg.
‘Val needs cardiovascular training to control her weight.
“If we can get him back to that weight (114kg), I will be happy with that and then it will be of greater benefit to the team.”
Bennett has defied calls from some quarters to terminate Te Whare’s contract and believes his player can still offer good things for the club.
“We think he can play,” Bennett added.
‘Val did some good things for us last year, especially considering he hasn’t played much league.
“If he comes back to us in better shape and with more weight loss, it will be more manageable for everyone.”
“We know he won’t be able to attend if he’s not fit and carrying too much weight, but I think Val can be a real asset and we’re trying to get him there.”