Dolphins fan favourite Valynce Te Whare wants to lose eight kilograms before November so he can become a blockbusting backline weapon with the endurance to succeed.
After playing his first season of NRL, just one year after taking up the sport of rugby league on a regular basis, Te Whare played 12 games, scored six tries and entertained the Dolphins faithful with his charismatic personality and wholehearted efforts.
A burly figure, the New Zealand-born 22-year-old knows what he must do to get the best out of his fearsome frame.
“I’ll go on holiday, refresh my head and come back in pre-season hopefully lighter and fitter so I can play more games next year,” Te Whare told AAP of his off-season plan.
“I dropped weight this year and then I went back up. I weigh in at 123kg at the moment. It is hard to run around. I want to get to 115kg by the start of pre-season.
“I am still working out what the best meal is for me. At the moment it’s fish and veg. The fish doesn’t put on weight and the veg goes straight through me.
“I give my best. That’s all I can do. I do extra training on top of training. It’s all about ticking over the body fat on my days off.”
Known affectionately as ‘Val Meninga’, Te Whare was embraced by the Dolphins in a way he is still coming to terms with.
“I am still trying to embrace it. When I walked off the field (in the last game of the season against New Zealand Warriors) everyone was clapping for me,” he grinned.
“It still a bit surreal for me but I really appreciate everyone doing that.
“I’ve really enjoyed the season and that’s a credit to the fans. They bring energy. Win or lose they are still behind me… and us. It makes me feel so good.”
Te Whare will have stiff competition for a centre spot next year with Canterbury’s Jake Averillo and Brisbane’s Herbie Farnworth joining the club.
He said all he could do was follow coach Wayne Bennett’s advice.
“Wayne lets me do my thing and keeps everything simple. He told me who to run at and to run hard. He says, ‘if you can’t pass then run harder’,” he said.
“This was only my first year in the top grade. With that extra experience behind me I can hopefully play my best.”