“A change in my diet was a big factor for my weight loss. “A change in my diet was a big factor for my weight loss."
Images: Warren Clarke

MAKING THE MOVE

“I can sit here and say that I’ve moved from the front row to lock, but in our team the real main difference between the positions is playing minutes per game. I get to pass the ball a bit more now, too, but it’s not as if I’ve had to turn into a ball-playing footballer. I’m still getting through the hit-ups that I’ve always had to do, I just have to do it for almost the entire game now. That means being a bit fitter and a bit lighter.”

BATTLE PLAN

“The Roosters’ training staff designs all the players’ pre-season programs – running, weights regimes ... This off-season was a lot more specific to each player’s role on the field, whether you’re an outside back or fullback, who worked on their speed, whereas the forwards did a lot more wrestling-type work. Very specific work to our positions.”

WHAT WORKED

“Anything cardio-focussed in the weights room is effective for weight loss. You can’t beat running. It’s definitely the best exercise fitness-wise for us. In the weights room we’re usually getting on the bike or the stepper or the treadmill. I’m not a big fan of the rower, but you do it and you can feel it working … You’re puffing like hell after a session on it."

“It’s all high-intensity work when fitness is concerned. More efforts for less time. During the off-season our field sessions usually lasted about an hour and a half. In the middle of a warm-up and warm-down we’d complete a lot of game-orientated stuff – it’s great for improving fitness; fast activities like touch football at a high pace."

“It was never just time trial-type running. You know, ‘Run this far in a certain time,’ for example. A lot of the work I did on the bike involved 20 seconds-hard, level 13 or 14, before tapering down. Then the same time off before another intense burst. Just turning the legs over.The same went for rowing and the other machines and exercises. It was never long, endurance-based work, but high-intensity and high-repetition training.”

NO MORE JUNK

“A change in my diet was a big factor for my weight loss. I was really cautious in watching what I was eating. I stayed away from the likes of Macca’s and shied away from nipping down the road and getting a hamburger. I got right into seafood; I started really enjoying salmon. Cooking at home is a big key to dropping kilos. You can really keep an eye on what you’re eating. I love roast chicken and veggies. It’s pretty easy to cook. You can’t go wrong there. A few potatoes for carbohydrates … We can always trust George and his staff at Azure Cafe at the SFS, too. But generally, if you’re eating out all the time, you don’t know how the food you’re eating is being prepared.”

TOO LIGHT?

“In saying all this, a player can definitely lose too much weight, especially if you’re in a position like prop forward. We have a player at our club at the moment who I think is a little bit too light. You can see them getting dominated at times in tackles, etc, which can happen to any player who’s performing at a weight they’re not used to. I’ve never found playing too light a problem, though!”