How NRL cult hero Valynce Te Whare lost a STAGGERING amount of weight in just 10 days after supercoach Wayne Bennett called him too fat to play footy
- NRL cult hero, 23, gained weight before the season
- Coach Wayne Bennett brought in famed trainer Mark Burgess
- Te Whare showed glimpses of his potential this year
NRL cult hero Valynce Te Whare has lost a whopping four stone in ten days as he fights to save his NRL career with the Dolphins.
The news comes just after coach Wayne Bennett bluntly told the 23-year-old he needed to lose some weight after arriving at pre-season training in an unsatisfactory condition.
The former rugby union star has quit Dolphins training at Redcliffe and been sent to a personal boot camp with celebrity trainer Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess.
“He started with me on our first day at 121.4kg and now he’s down to 117.9kg, so he’s lost almost four kilos,” Burgess said. News Corp.
‘We do two sessions a day and talk about nutrition all the time.
“It was basically ‘Fight Camp’ for Val. We did a lot of boxing and sparring to get his heart rate up.
NRL cult hero Valynce Te Whare has lost four stone in ten days as he fights to save his NRL career
The 23-year-old has scored six tries in 12 NRL appearances for the Dolphins this year after jumping from rugby union
“Val is an incredible athlete. He is very explosive. He doesn’t have great stamina, but he’s going to play center and wing and Wayne wants him to be lighter and more involved, so he needs to be in better shape.”
Te Whare wants to play in the NRL next season at 113kg, but if his weight continues to rise he will soon find himself on the rugby league scrap heap.
He enjoyed a promising 2023 campaign and became popular among many fans for his bullock frame and personality.
“I sent Val away to get fitter, that’s the situation,” said a fed-up Bennett.
“He came back to pre-season far too heavy and unfit to play against NRL at that body weight.
‘He’s not doing any ball work for us at the moment, our priority is to get him fit, so I’ve asked ‘Chopper’ Burgess to help out.’
Burgess is a highly regarded conditioner and has worked with some of Australia’s top stars.
The 63-year-old was a former Australian amateur boxing champion and previously served as VIP protection officer for Bill Clinton and former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie.
NRL cult hero Valynce Te Whare (pictured right) has been told he must lose weight if he wants to continue playing in the NRL
Wayne Bennett was seething after returning to pre-season training at Redcliffe overweight
Te Whare now trains with renowned conditioner Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess (pictured left)
Bennett also said ‘you can’t hide at NRL level’ and what Te Whare reminds him of former Broncos and Queensland Origin forward Dave Taylor, who was a punishing ball runner when fit but struggled with his weight throughout his career.
“We think he can play,” he said. “Val did some good things for us last year, especially as he hasn’t played many league games.
“We know he can’t make it if he’s too unfit and carrying too much weight, but I believe Val can be a real asset and we’re trying to get him into that spot.”
Former NRL stars Andrew McCulloch and Stephen Kearney have also been key behind the scenes in ensuring Te Whare does not see his contract torn up by Bennett.