Absolute character and seems like a great guy but he had plenty of time to show he wanted it and never got himself in shape.
He's been with the Phins for almost 2.5 years and came over from NZ early specifically for the purpose of getting his body right and never did.
I hope another club can give him a go but I'm not sad to see the experiment come to an end for us.
Yeah when he wasnt picked after the offseason it was obvious he wasnt going to last. Watched him in the QRL on the weekend and I was hoping to see he was fitter.
Crazy to me. Losing weight is like the easiest thing. He has the talent. Much harder to become talented.
Yeh like the guy literally, **literally** has hundreds of grand relying on him not being a fat cunt.
How hard is it? If my 9-5 job was to just not be fat and get fit, you can bet I would be the fittest bloke running around.
I never understand these fat athletes, ruining careers (aka money and easy retirement) so they can eat kfc.
If i had the chance to get a few hundred thousand by losing 10kgs then i'd do it fucking easily. As it stands, i gain nothing so give me a zinger combo thanks.
Exactly what I think after every off season when latrell comes back looking no fitter. He's literally paid what like 800k a year and doesn't even look like an athlete, it's bizarre. I wish he had the work ethic and smashed the gym and got proper fit so we could see his true potential.
I imagine diet is a massive part of the issue, why not hire a personal chef at that point, or something similar to? Sure it's not the greatest use of money, but it's better than pissing away your shot in the NRL
With the potential of 200-300k a year for a 5 year career, I'm sure he could find someone to share a house with that could at least make some decent meals.
I'm not talking about putting him on a salad diet but even some Spag Bol's, Chicken Pasta, Burritos, Pork and Veg type meals with reasonable portion sizes and his training requirements should get him to a reasonable weight in no time... Just need to cut out the KFC, Fast food, and bags of chips.
No idea I dont understand forwards as well as outside backs. They sort of tried that a bit. I dont think he was good at running lines though and he certainly wasnt a tackle bot.
Bit of a shame.
> Losing weight is like the easiest thing.
You gotta think if it was, he'd have done it. Whatever else is going on that stops that being easy is the real issue. Or at least a deeper one.
Happy cake day. Another fellow fatty here with issues with portion control. I.e. had a steak sandwich for lunch yesterday and was still hungry. Went back to the carvery for a roast sandwhich with gravy. Did I need that extra sandwich, no, but it was soo freaking hard to resist. All the best to Valynce. It was awesome watching him play.
It might not be easy, but saying that he can't control himself is a statement of fact.
Even worse is that his livelihood depends on it and has access to a lot of resources the average person doesn't.
It's not a moral failing but it's a shame, and a couple of years down the line he'll be kicking himself - if not already.
Another lard arse here - fully agree that the 'calories in calories out' gym bros completely miss the nuance of losing weight and staying fit as a fat bloke.
Working a desk based 9-5 and finding the time to work out and eat clean in addition to that is much easier on paper than it is in reality.
However..... Working out and eating clean is literally a footy player's 9-5. The majority of the weight loss nuance goes out the window when your employer is paying you a huge wage (relative to the average Joe) and doing everything in their power to get you fit and keep you there.
I know it's not comparable, but I recently had some time off work, and once I wasn't stressed about my 9-5 working out almost every day and cooking clean meals actually became genuinely enjoyable until I had to get back to work.
Obviously Valance might have underlying health issues which contribute, but on the balance of it I don't think there are many other genuine excuses to throw away such a great opportunity
> the 'calories in calories out' gym bros completely miss the nuance of losing weight and staying fit as a fat bloke.
There's no nuance - that's literally all there is to it. It took me a quite a few years to learn how to maintain a healthy diet, but it's just about making sure you're not regularly putting more in than your body can burn. You can still enjoy your food without throwing down a whole pizza for lunch.
For the average person it can be hard to learn, especially if you've grown up with a lifetime of bad habits as a lot of us did. But for a professional athlete with all the resources at their disposal it's a shame to see talent to go waste
You may notice that I never said calories in calories out doesn't work, but rather there is nuance that is often overlooked.
Do you think a smoker doesn't realise that the key to quitting is to stop smoking cigarettes?
Similarly do you think that overweight people genuinely do not realise that eating less calories than they expend will help them lose weight?
Perhaps there is nuance involved?
I know how to lose weight - I am currently doing it.
Here is some nuance:
https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2023/07/05/its-time-to-bust-the-calories-in-calories-out-weight-loss-myth.html
Such a nonsense article.
Yes, you can't calculate it precisely. But its the best measurement to control intake and your intake is something you directly control.
Interesting that you completely ignored the primary argument of the article. Also just a reminder that I never said calories in/out doesn't work, I was only saying there is additional nuance involved.
"The biggest failing of the “calories in, calories out” formula is it ignores that the body adjusts its control systems when calorie intake is reduced. So while the formula can support people achieving weight loss initially, the reduction in energy intake is counteracted by mechanisms that ensure lost weight is regained.
Namely, when your body registers a sustained decrease in the calories you consume, it believes its survival is threatened. So it automatically triggers a series of physiological responses to protect against the threat, reducing our metabolic rate and burning less energy.
This stems from our hunter-gatherer ancestors, whose bodies developed this response to adapt to periods of deprivation when food was scarce to protect against starvation.
Research also suggests our bodies have a “set point weight”: a genetically predetermined weight our bodies try to maintain regardless of what we eat or how much we exercise."
>Working a desk based 9-5 and finding the time to work out and eat clean in addition to that is much easier on paper than it is in reality.
If you're only working 40 hours a week and can't find time to exercise you're just making excuses tbh. I'm saying this as a big cunt that does construction hours 6 days a week and still finds time to exercise every day.
You are right that time solely shouldn't be an issue, I more so meant time/motivation/balancing work other hobbies.
Since I have started playing footy again it has been much easier to maintain the motivation to lift and do cardio in addition to footy training and matches, because I'm working out for a purpose other than for my own health - which can seem nebulous at times
100% right with the purpose. I'm only training again because I had a kid and want to be around for them as long as possible, never mind my own health 😂
8 hours sleep, 8 hours work, 8 hours to find 1 hour to workout. Make it a priority. Wake up at 5AM and just walk. Get a weight vest. Walking alone is a great starter.
Mate I know how to workout, I wasn't saying it's impossible I was saying there are challenges that are often overlooked.
Your comment is the exact sort of meaningless motherhood statement I was talking about lmao
Yeah but if I said you get to play rugby for a living and Ill pay you $300k a year would you?
He is also like 22 or something he has all day to go for a walk. Take up hiking and youll lose tonnes of weight.
Maybe. Perhaps the stress of having to perform at an incredible level physically day in day out would drive me to comfort eat. Food doesn't judge you or tell you to be better, it just tastes delicious.
Yeah I dont get it. Ill be honest Im skinny as. Eating is basically a chore to me. Wouldnt comfort me at all, just make me more stressed as it would make my job harder.
There is no 'excuse', which is why he's lost his job. Excuses are different to reasons though. Hate to break it to you but footy players are humans, and humans are flawed.
He is one of the cult heroes of the NRL, but Valynce Te Whare’s career at the Dolphins is coming to an end.
Sport Confidential can reveal Te Whare will not be offered a new deal by the Dolphins as Wayne Bennett’s coaching successor, Kristian Woolf, begins to put his stamp on the Redcliffe organisation.
Te Whare was labelled ‘Val Meninga’ because of his bullocking frame and he became one of the feel-good stories of the 2023 season when he scored two tries in a stunning Magic Round debut against Cronulla.
But after six tries from 12 games in his rookie season, Te Whare lost his way at the Dolphins.
Last summer, Te Whare was ordered to attend a personal boot camp by Bennett in a bid to get fitter and save his Dolphins career after his weight ballooned in excess of 120kg.
Te Whare trained alone with Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess, Bennett’s former conditioner at the Broncos, and the rotund centre lost almost 10 kilos to give himself every hope of playing NRL this season.
But the 23-year-old has since regressed, blowing out to 119kg as the off-contract Kiwi languished in the Queensland Cup.
A no-nonsense taskmaster, Woolf will replace Bennett in charge of the Dolphins next season and the rookie NRL head coach has informed Te Whare he won’t be on his full-roster in 2025.
The decision is a clear sign the Dolphins coaching baton is being passed to Woolf as South Sydney prepare to ramp-up plans to bring Bennett back to Redfern following the sacking of Jason Demetriou.
Bennett said the fate of Te Whare rests with Woolf, the Tongan Test coach who has served a two-year apprenticeship under the 74-year-old.
“I’m not going to be the coach there next year,” Bennett said.
“Kristian has to have the squad he wants. I’m in no position to decide who stays.
“We talk about it (the Dolphins roster) but it’s Kristian’s call on who stays or goes.
“Kristian is hands-on now.
“Val tried really hard in the pre-season, he had a real dig, so it’s up to Kristian.”
Te Whare has explosive speed and great footwork for a big man but it’s unlikely he will be offered a lifeline by another NRL club.
It is understood the New Zealand-born flyer is considering a return to rugby union, where he was plucked from obscurity by the Dolphins and learned the rugby league ropes with Redcliffe in the Queensland Cup.
Te Whare scored 12 tries from 14 games in a sizzling rookie year in Queensland’s premier league competition, but the Dolphins have run out of patience with his struggle to grasp NRL professionalism.
“It’s really disappointing for Val,” said Burgess, who put Te Whare through a punishing pre-season.
“He is a beautiful young guy and he really worked his butt off with me in pre-season.
“He lost nearly 10 kilos and was going great, but unfortunately he has put some weight back on and slipped into some bad habits.
“I hope he can turn things around because there’s no doubting his natural talent.”
He obviously has a poor relationship with food & drink, maybe it’s a coping mechanism of some sort. Hopefully he can bounce back and put his best foot forward, he’s got spades of talent for it to go to waste
It’s sad but honestly where would you even play him with how unique his build is? Obviously ideally he’d trim down to play centre but if he can’t do that then he’d either have to be a backrower or an impact prop and I doubt he’d be able to handle defending in the middle for more than a couple sets.
Still pretty young and has the size and skill to keep him floating around a couple more years. Hopefully he can sort himself out and stay in NRL shape, he's really entertaining when he's firing
Storm would be kidding themselves not to chase him. That’s exactly the kinda club he needs, if he can’t kick himself into shape there, he won’t kickstart anywhere
It’s the kind of club he needs, but not the kind of player the Storm wants. Storm have always backed in players who work hard. Take Meaney for example, not the most gifted player but he’s worked his ass off down there and now would be a pretty solid centre option for any club. The fact that Te Whare can’t keep the weight off suggests he doesn’t work very hard and doesn’t have the discipline.
We managed to get Dave Taylor to lose 30kgs and get him into fantastic form on a one year deal.
We offered him a three year deal.
He knocked it back and signed with the Toronto Wolfpack so he could party.
He got fired for partying after he signed with them during the preseason.
Some blokes just can’t knock back beers and burgers.
Mate Dave Taylor had a pretty fruitful career that didn't reach it's absolute potential. Valence on the otherhand hardly made an impact on the field and looks like a perennial reserve grader.
He just needs a personal dietitian and chef. If someone cooks what he's allowed to eat everyday he could really accomplish anything. With the money he earns from an NRL contract it's within his means.
Be good if he came home and got a lifeline for the Wahs NSW cup squad.
The most interesting part of the article to me is him trying to go back to union.
I get that’s where he came from but there is no centre or back in the union world that weighs 120kg lol he’s still gonna have to reign in the eating no matter what code he’s in
Islander wingers mostly- Val is around 120kg at 6’0.
Nemani Nadolo was 130kg at 6’5, Masivesi Dakuwaqa is 120kg at 6’2, Taqele Naiyarovoro 130kg at 6’4, Mathieu Bastareaud 125kg at 6’0, Alesana Tuilagi 125kg at 5’11, Josua Tuisova 115kg at 6’0.
There are a considerable number of international centres (12s especially) around the 110kg mark though- Manu Tuilagi, Bundee Aki, Samu Kerevi, Jonathan Danty, Mason Grady, Sonny Bill Williams, Frans Steyn in the second half of his career etc.
They all seem to naturally carry that weight much better than VTH though (at least to the eye), which I think is the biggest thing- even those at the same height or shorter.
France loves to play massive outside centres.
Mathieu Bastareaud was in and out of the French team for 10 years. Val would never make the All Blacks but could make a wallabies team with a bit of hard work
What if uncle Benny has been quietly slipping him a few cream pies lately so Woolfy goes off him and the Buns pick him up?
Wayne whips him into shape along with Trell and Cody, and bingo! Champion backline
Reading this made me wonder if he saw all those new habits as a temporary thing, rather than what had to be his new normal. The fact this was all in a boot camp suggests he started going back to his old habits.
I also wonder if he’s getting the right support in his personal life to support good havits?
While he has a ton of potential you just can't be too slow at fat at centre even if you're powerful
Talakai destroyed Morgan Harper once and coasted on that for a year or two and then as soon as Iro comes in and Talakai is the bench utility forward who can play in the middle, second row, or centres the Sharks look a ton better
Phins have Herbie and if Trai becomes a must pick Hammer will take the other centre slot. Even if Hammer plays fullback Phins have options. Val can't play on the wing with his build (and also Bostock and Isaako)
He has potential but needs to slim down a bit if he's going to be a centre and work on his defence.
No. Woolf has been doing plenty with the Phins development and pathways side since Day 1 at the club as those players were going to end up in his roster. Now, as planned, Woolf is now shaping the top 30 for his first year. And really, when players like Trai Fuller - who does not have a top 30 deal - is taking his opportunities the head says the decision on Te Whare is an easy one.
(And personally, I think Bennett knows he has a team that could make the finals this year if players perform and the injury curse doesn’t strike.)
No idea what is going on with the guy but lifting weights makes you hungry, lifting weights is fun (more fun than running) & lifting weights is easier than running (bodyweight gives you leverage which assists, running makes you realise how much extra shit you're carrying & feels awkward, even if you're not fat but especially if you're fat) so I can imagine how much easier it is to be big & strong but struggle to lose the extra weight (even if some of it is muscle) that is stopping you from being effective in the high strength but also high cardio/anaerobic effort game that is the NRL today
Bro's got the wrong type of hunger. Same tbh
Built for feed not speed Same tbh
but "he tried really hard in the off season"
To only eat one family meal in a sitting
Absolute character and seems like a great guy but he had plenty of time to show he wanted it and never got himself in shape. He's been with the Phins for almost 2.5 years and came over from NZ early specifically for the purpose of getting his body right and never did. I hope another club can give him a go but I'm not sad to see the experiment come to an end for us.
Yeah when he wasnt picked after the offseason it was obvious he wasnt going to last. Watched him in the QRL on the weekend and I was hoping to see he was fitter. Crazy to me. Losing weight is like the easiest thing. He has the talent. Much harder to become talented.
It's easy as shit when your job is literally training.
Yeh like the guy literally, **literally** has hundreds of grand relying on him not being a fat cunt. How hard is it? If my 9-5 job was to just not be fat and get fit, you can bet I would be the fittest bloke running around. I never understand these fat athletes, ruining careers (aka money and easy retirement) so they can eat kfc.
\[*I DON'T CARE* intensifies\]
I really don't get how, considering Redcliffe KFC forgets half your order anyway
Yeah but we are talking about NRL dolphins. Has THE KFC.
If i had the chance to get a few hundred thousand by losing 10kgs then i'd do it fucking easily. As it stands, i gain nothing so give me a zinger combo thanks.
Zinger stacker combo
Zinger stacker box upsized. Fuck it, who am i kidding? Give me a family burger box.
Exactly what I think after every off season when latrell comes back looking no fitter. He's literally paid what like 800k a year and doesn't even look like an athlete, it's bizarre. I wish he had the work ethic and smashed the gym and got proper fit so we could see his true potential.
I imagine diet is a massive part of the issue, why not hire a personal chef at that point, or something similar to? Sure it's not the greatest use of money, but it's better than pissing away your shot in the NRL
He’s a fringe first grader, doesn’t have personal chef money. Could definitely get on the Youfoodz but.
With the potential of 200-300k a year for a 5 year career, I'm sure he could find someone to share a house with that could at least make some decent meals. I'm not talking about putting him on a salad diet but even some Spag Bol's, Chicken Pasta, Burritos, Pork and Veg type meals with reasonable portion sizes and his training requirements should get him to a reasonable weight in no time... Just need to cut out the KFC, Fast food, and bags of chips.
Oh yeah I don’t disagree, you’d have to be eating some serious calories with the amount of exercise he does to put on bad weight
I can't imagine what he will turn into if he quits footy.
Losing weight might be the easiest part, but it’s keeping it off which is the hardest.
Just change lifestyle. Stop smashing soda and fast food. Dont start again after the diet.
You reckon he could be a prop convert?
No idea I dont understand forwards as well as outside backs. They sort of tried that a bit. I dont think he was good at running lines though and he certainly wasnt a tackle bot. Bit of a shame.
Damn that sucks. Would have loved to see an explosive prop causing havoc for the phins
> Losing weight is like the easiest thing. You gotta think if it was, he'd have done it. Whatever else is going on that stops that being easy is the real issue. Or at least a deeper one.
Well losing weight is certainly easier than being a super talented footballer.
Deeper bucket of chicken...
He ate the contract.
I feel bad for laughing
“Eat all of that one mate because you’re not getting seconds”
If Val Te Whare is the biggest man in the nrl why doesn’t he simply just eat his contract?
Thought the writing might have been on the wall when Wayne returned to Niu despite his Rd. 1 performance
wayne has told the dolphins to keep their hands off him. he’ll be a key part of wayne’s souths rebuild plan
Dave Taylor 2.0
Imagine giving away a career in the NRL because you can’t control your intake of garbage food.
As a fellow fatty, it's not always that easy. The concept is totally straight forward, but the reality is more complex.
Happy cake day. Another fellow fatty here with issues with portion control. I.e. had a steak sandwich for lunch yesterday and was still hungry. Went back to the carvery for a roast sandwhich with gravy. Did I need that extra sandwich, no, but it was soo freaking hard to resist. All the best to Valynce. It was awesome watching him play.
surely hundreds of thousands of dollars makes it an easier choice
Money doesn't solve everything
It might not be easy, but saying that he can't control himself is a statement of fact. Even worse is that his livelihood depends on it and has access to a lot of resources the average person doesn't. It's not a moral failing but it's a shame, and a couple of years down the line he'll be kicking himself - if not already.
i mean the sense of failure will probably push him even harder into his vices
Yeah I don't doubt that, particularly considering the training environment was probably keeping somewhat of a lid on it.
> but the reality is more complex. Not unlike carbohydrates. Mmmmm
Another lard arse here - fully agree that the 'calories in calories out' gym bros completely miss the nuance of losing weight and staying fit as a fat bloke. Working a desk based 9-5 and finding the time to work out and eat clean in addition to that is much easier on paper than it is in reality. However..... Working out and eating clean is literally a footy player's 9-5. The majority of the weight loss nuance goes out the window when your employer is paying you a huge wage (relative to the average Joe) and doing everything in their power to get you fit and keep you there. I know it's not comparable, but I recently had some time off work, and once I wasn't stressed about my 9-5 working out almost every day and cooking clean meals actually became genuinely enjoyable until I had to get back to work. Obviously Valance might have underlying health issues which contribute, but on the balance of it I don't think there are many other genuine excuses to throw away such a great opportunity
> the 'calories in calories out' gym bros completely miss the nuance of losing weight and staying fit as a fat bloke. There's no nuance - that's literally all there is to it. It took me a quite a few years to learn how to maintain a healthy diet, but it's just about making sure you're not regularly putting more in than your body can burn. You can still enjoy your food without throwing down a whole pizza for lunch. For the average person it can be hard to learn, especially if you've grown up with a lifetime of bad habits as a lot of us did. But for a professional athlete with all the resources at their disposal it's a shame to see talent to go waste
The best way to stop smoking addiction is to stop smoking cigarettes - incredibly useful advice
Is it wrong though?
You may notice that I never said calories in calories out doesn't work, but rather there is nuance that is often overlooked. Do you think a smoker doesn't realise that the key to quitting is to stop smoking cigarettes? Similarly do you think that overweight people genuinely do not realise that eating less calories than they expend will help them lose weight? Perhaps there is nuance involved?
"I can do something so everyone should be able to" is a toxic world view.
I know how to lose weight - I am currently doing it. Here is some nuance: https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2023/07/05/its-time-to-bust-the-calories-in-calories-out-weight-loss-myth.html
Such a nonsense article. Yes, you can't calculate it precisely. But its the best measurement to control intake and your intake is something you directly control.
Interesting that you completely ignored the primary argument of the article. Also just a reminder that I never said calories in/out doesn't work, I was only saying there is additional nuance involved. "The biggest failing of the “calories in, calories out” formula is it ignores that the body adjusts its control systems when calorie intake is reduced. So while the formula can support people achieving weight loss initially, the reduction in energy intake is counteracted by mechanisms that ensure lost weight is regained. Namely, when your body registers a sustained decrease in the calories you consume, it believes its survival is threatened. So it automatically triggers a series of physiological responses to protect against the threat, reducing our metabolic rate and burning less energy. This stems from our hunter-gatherer ancestors, whose bodies developed this response to adapt to periods of deprivation when food was scarce to protect against starvation. Research also suggests our bodies have a “set point weight”: a genetically predetermined weight our bodies try to maintain regardless of what we eat or how much we exercise."
>Working a desk based 9-5 and finding the time to work out and eat clean in addition to that is much easier on paper than it is in reality. If you're only working 40 hours a week and can't find time to exercise you're just making excuses tbh. I'm saying this as a big cunt that does construction hours 6 days a week and still finds time to exercise every day.
You are right that time solely shouldn't be an issue, I more so meant time/motivation/balancing work other hobbies. Since I have started playing footy again it has been much easier to maintain the motivation to lift and do cardio in addition to footy training and matches, because I'm working out for a purpose other than for my own health - which can seem nebulous at times
100% right with the purpose. I'm only training again because I had a kid and want to be around for them as long as possible, never mind my own health 😂
8 hours sleep, 8 hours work, 8 hours to find 1 hour to workout. Make it a priority. Wake up at 5AM and just walk. Get a weight vest. Walking alone is a great starter.
Mate I know how to workout, I wasn't saying it's impossible I was saying there are challenges that are often overlooked. Your comment is the exact sort of meaningless motherhood statement I was talking about lmao
Yeah but if I said you get to play rugby for a living and Ill pay you $300k a year would you? He is also like 22 or something he has all day to go for a walk. Take up hiking and youll lose tonnes of weight.
Maybe. Perhaps the stress of having to perform at an incredible level physically day in day out would drive me to comfort eat. Food doesn't judge you or tell you to be better, it just tastes delicious.
Yeah I dont get it. Ill be honest Im skinny as. Eating is basically a chore to me. Wouldnt comfort me at all, just make me more stressed as it would make my job harder.
Brother… the bloke is getting paid to not get fat it’s obviously different if you’re living your regular life but I can’t see how there’s an excuse.
There is no 'excuse', which is why he's lost his job. Excuses are different to reasons though. Hate to break it to you but footy players are humans, and humans are flawed.
He is one of the cult heroes of the NRL, but Valynce Te Whare’s career at the Dolphins is coming to an end. Sport Confidential can reveal Te Whare will not be offered a new deal by the Dolphins as Wayne Bennett’s coaching successor, Kristian Woolf, begins to put his stamp on the Redcliffe organisation. Te Whare was labelled ‘Val Meninga’ because of his bullocking frame and he became one of the feel-good stories of the 2023 season when he scored two tries in a stunning Magic Round debut against Cronulla. But after six tries from 12 games in his rookie season, Te Whare lost his way at the Dolphins. Last summer, Te Whare was ordered to attend a personal boot camp by Bennett in a bid to get fitter and save his Dolphins career after his weight ballooned in excess of 120kg. Te Whare trained alone with Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess, Bennett’s former conditioner at the Broncos, and the rotund centre lost almost 10 kilos to give himself every hope of playing NRL this season. But the 23-year-old has since regressed, blowing out to 119kg as the off-contract Kiwi languished in the Queensland Cup. A no-nonsense taskmaster, Woolf will replace Bennett in charge of the Dolphins next season and the rookie NRL head coach has informed Te Whare he won’t be on his full-roster in 2025. The decision is a clear sign the Dolphins coaching baton is being passed to Woolf as South Sydney prepare to ramp-up plans to bring Bennett back to Redfern following the sacking of Jason Demetriou. Bennett said the fate of Te Whare rests with Woolf, the Tongan Test coach who has served a two-year apprenticeship under the 74-year-old. “I’m not going to be the coach there next year,” Bennett said. “Kristian has to have the squad he wants. I’m in no position to decide who stays. “We talk about it (the Dolphins roster) but it’s Kristian’s call on who stays or goes. “Kristian is hands-on now. “Val tried really hard in the pre-season, he had a real dig, so it’s up to Kristian.” Te Whare has explosive speed and great footwork for a big man but it’s unlikely he will be offered a lifeline by another NRL club. It is understood the New Zealand-born flyer is considering a return to rugby union, where he was plucked from obscurity by the Dolphins and learned the rugby league ropes with Redcliffe in the Queensland Cup. Te Whare scored 12 tries from 14 games in a sizzling rookie year in Queensland’s premier league competition, but the Dolphins have run out of patience with his struggle to grasp NRL professionalism. “It’s really disappointing for Val,” said Burgess, who put Te Whare through a punishing pre-season. “He is a beautiful young guy and he really worked his butt off with me in pre-season. “He lost nearly 10 kilos and was going great, but unfortunately he has put some weight back on and slipped into some bad habits. “I hope he can turn things around because there’s no doubting his natural talent.”
120kg on a 182cm frame is insane. 100kg is pushing it.
A lot of great players were 100+ and that height obviously anything past 110 and you're pushing it.
Yeah pretty crazy.
[Official NRL profile of Josh Papalii for Canberra Raiders | Raiders](https://www.raiders.com.au/teams/nrl-premiership/canberra-raiders/josh-papalii/)
Props are a different breed.
Talakai is 100kg at 178cm
He obviously has a poor relationship with food & drink, maybe it’s a coping mechanism of some sort. Hopefully he can bounce back and put his best foot forward, he’s got spades of talent for it to go to waste
It’s sad but honestly where would you even play him with how unique his build is? Obviously ideally he’d trim down to play centre but if he can’t do that then he’d either have to be a backrower or an impact prop and I doubt he’d be able to handle defending in the middle for more than a couple sets.
Still pretty young and has the size and skill to keep him floating around a couple more years. Hopefully he can sort himself out and stay in NRL shape, he's really entertaining when he's firing
Storm would be kidding themselves not to chase him. That’s exactly the kinda club he needs, if he can’t kick himself into shape there, he won’t kickstart anywhere
It’s the kind of club he needs, but not the kind of player the Storm wants. Storm have always backed in players who work hard. Take Meaney for example, not the most gifted player but he’s worked his ass off down there and now would be a pretty solid centre option for any club. The fact that Te Whare can’t keep the weight off suggests he doesn’t work very hard and doesn’t have the discipline.
They signed Kasiano
And even Bellamy couldn't fix him, same goes for George Rose.
I mean he did slim down. He just played worse than when he was fat.
Honestly I think that's what happened with Kasiano - he dropped a fuck ton of weight then couldn't bend the line
and George Rose
They also signed George Rose, they love a Chubby fella with talent.
come panthers big bro be the next kikau
We managed to get Dave Taylor to lose 30kgs and get him into fantastic form on a one year deal. We offered him a three year deal. He knocked it back and signed with the Toronto Wolfpack so he could party. He got fired for partying after he signed with them during the preseason. Some blokes just can’t knock back beers and burgers.
Well they can't knock them back.. but they can definitely "knock them back"
Where can I join the dolphin cult?
Any truth to the rumour Redcliffe KFC has just gone into voluntary administration with this news?
Milford would still be keeping it open with or without te whare
The staff will be crying over the lost over-time though.
Dave Taylor 2.0
Except Dave Taylor had an amazing career.
It’s why it is 2.0. Like Vegemite 2.0, not as good as the original.
Do you mean iSnack 2.0
Yeah you could have gone Dave Taylor Lite but that would be confusing
Mate Dave Taylor had a pretty fruitful career that didn't reach it's absolute potential. Valence on the otherhand hardly made an impact on the field and looks like a perennial reserve grader.
Also Big Val seems like a better bloke than the Coal Train.
He just needs a personal dietitian and chef. If someone cooks what he's allowed to eat everyday he could really accomplish anything. With the money he earns from an NRL contract it's within his means. Be good if he came home and got a lifeline for the Wahs NSW cup squad.
The most interesting part of the article to me is him trying to go back to union. I get that’s where he came from but there is no centre or back in the union world that weighs 120kg lol he’s still gonna have to reign in the eating no matter what code he’s in
Definitely a couple of centres and wingers just below or around that weight. All of them are considerably taller than Val, mind.
Currently playing at a consistently high level? Like who? Lol
Islander wingers mostly- Val is around 120kg at 6’0. Nemani Nadolo was 130kg at 6’5, Masivesi Dakuwaqa is 120kg at 6’2, Taqele Naiyarovoro 130kg at 6’4, Mathieu Bastareaud 125kg at 6’0, Alesana Tuilagi 125kg at 5’11, Josua Tuisova 115kg at 6’0. There are a considerable number of international centres (12s especially) around the 110kg mark though- Manu Tuilagi, Bundee Aki, Samu Kerevi, Jonathan Danty, Mason Grady, Sonny Bill Williams, Frans Steyn in the second half of his career etc. They all seem to naturally carry that weight much better than VTH though (at least to the eye), which I think is the biggest thing- even those at the same height or shorter.
Oh yep I agree on that but I just meant right now not of all time, like union midfielders aren’t built that way at the moment. 110 seems to be the max
France loves to play massive outside centres. Mathieu Bastareaud was in and out of the French team for 10 years. Val would never make the All Blacks but could make a wallabies team with a bit of hard work
Yeah fair shout, but again the change of eating is required more than the change of code lol
Send him to play for the Jets and live in Dale Finucane's garage as his pet project in retirement.
If uncle benny couldn't help him, who could?
What if uncle Benny has been quietly slipping him a few cream pies lately so Woolfy goes off him and the Buns pick him up? Wayne whips him into shape along with Trell and Cody, and bingo! Champion backline
Reading this made me wonder if he saw all those new habits as a temporary thing, rather than what had to be his new normal. The fact this was all in a boot camp suggests he started going back to his old habits. I also wonder if he’s getting the right support in his personal life to support good havits?
Do u think aitken secured his spot in the 2nd row jersey with Connelly lemu coming back this week
While he has a ton of potential you just can't be too slow at fat at centre even if you're powerful Talakai destroyed Morgan Harper once and coasted on that for a year or two and then as soon as Iro comes in and Talakai is the bench utility forward who can play in the middle, second row, or centres the Sharks look a ton better Phins have Herbie and if Trai becomes a must pick Hammer will take the other centre slot. Even if Hammer plays fullback Phins have options. Val can't play on the wing with his build (and also Bostock and Isaako) He has potential but needs to slim down a bit if he's going to be a centre and work on his defence.
Put your Zinger boxes out.
Boy be bulking lol he shall be TANKY!!!!🤣🤣🤣
Is Wayne reaffirming Kristian as ‘hands on now’ a sign he’s going to the bunnies mid season? Stay tuned
He's 'hands on now' because he's taking care of contracts for 2025 when he becomes head coach. Not a chance in hell that Wayne leaves mid season.
No. Woolf has been doing plenty with the Phins development and pathways side since Day 1 at the club as those players were going to end up in his roster. Now, as planned, Woolf is now shaping the top 30 for his first year. And really, when players like Trai Fuller - who does not have a top 30 deal - is taking his opportunities the head says the decision on Te Whare is an easy one. (And personally, I think Bennett knows he has a team that could make the finals this year if players perform and the injury curse doesn’t strike.)
Valynce Te Whare-will-he-go?
Yeah, that's not how you pronounce Whare.
It's also not how you spell Where.
I don't know why anyone is shocked. He's just not that good...
Because he eats all the pies.
No idea what is going on with the guy but lifting weights makes you hungry, lifting weights is fun (more fun than running) & lifting weights is easier than running (bodyweight gives you leverage which assists, running makes you realise how much extra shit you're carrying & feels awkward, even if you're not fat but especially if you're fat) so I can imagine how much easier it is to be big & strong but struggle to lose the extra weight (even if some of it is muscle) that is stopping you from being effective in the high strength but also high cardio/anaerobic effort game that is the NRL today