2024 Pre-season games

[Jetty]

DOLPHINS​

Pre-season challenge fixtures:​

Rd 1: Sunday, February 18

v Titans at Sunshine Coast Stadium

Rd 2: Saturday, February 24

v Warriors at Go Media Stadium, Auckland

Round 1:

Sunday, March 10

v Cowboys at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane

Club news: Captain Jesse Bromwich returned this week for what could be his final NRL pre-season as he weighs up retirement. The majority of the squad has returned to training in Redcliffe, save for new recruits, grand finalists Herbie Farnworth and Tom Flegler. Farnworth was spotted doing a light training session with ex-Broncos teammates last week, but the Dolphins were not concerned. He’s not due to start pre-season training with the club until December 11.

 

[Red]

I know this isn't about pre-season games but about the pre-season only but anyway

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Bennett sends Dolphins star Valynce Te Whare to boot camp to get weight under control​

After being banished from pre-season training, Wayne Bennett has ordered a Dolphins star to attend a one-on-one boot camp​

Wayne Bennett has revealed Dolphins cult figure Valynce Te Whare has been sent to a personal boot camp in a last-ditch bid to save his NRL career. Bennett said Te Whare has been stood down from Dolphins training for a fortnight and ordered to attend one-on-one ‘Fight Camp’ sessions with a personal trainer in a desperate bid to get his weight under control.

Exclusive images obtained by this masthead show Te Whare – nicknamed ‘Val Meninga’ – slogging it out in Brisbane’s humid heat with hard-nosed trainer Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess, Bennett’s former conditioner at the Bronco. Te Whare was one of the feelgood stories of 2023, making a sizzling Magic Round debut against Cronulla and attracting cult status with his bullocking frame that won him an army of admirers at the Dolphins.

But Bennett fears the 23-year-old’s ballooning weight could destroy his promising NRL career. The explosive centre finished the season at 125kg and after putting on 4kg during one weekend on the eve of the new pre-season, Bennett had enough, calling on the no-nonsense methods of Burgess to whip Te Whare into shape.

Te Whare is off-contract at the end of 2024 and Bennett said he is doing everything possible to help the rookie succeed in the NRL. “I’ve sent Val away to get fitter – that’s the situation,” Bennett said. “He came back to pre-season way too heavy and too unfit to play NRL at that body weight. “He is doing no ball-work with us at the moment, our priority is to get him fit, so I’ve asked ‘Chopper’ Burgess to help out.”

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The article then goes on to talk about "Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess"

Wayne goes on to say he needs to drop a cool 11kg!

 

[Jetty]

I know this isn't about pre-season games but about the pre-season only but anyway

---

Bennett sends Dolphins star Valynce Te Whare to boot camp to get weight under control​

After being banished from pre-season training, Wayne Bennett has ordered a Dolphins star to attend a one-on-one boot camp​

Wayne Bennett has revealed Dolphins cult figure Valynce Te Whare has been sent to a personal boot camp in a last-ditch bid to save his NRL career. Bennett said Te Whare has been stood down from Dolphins training for a fortnight and ordered to attend one-on-one ‘Fight Camp’ sessions with a personal trainer in a desperate bid to get his weight under control.

Exclusive images obtained by this masthead show Te Whare – nicknamed ‘Val Meninga’ – slogging it out in Brisbane’s humid heat with hard-nosed trainer Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess, Bennett’s former conditioner at the Bronco. Te Whare was one of the feelgood stories of 2023, making a sizzling Magic Round debut against Cronulla and attracting cult status with his bullocking frame that won him an army of admirers at the Dolphins.

But Bennett fears the 23-year-old’s ballooning weight could destroy his promising NRL career. The explosive centre finished the season at 125kg and after putting on 4kg during one weekend on the eve of the new pre-season, Bennett had enough, calling on the no-nonsense methods of Burgess to whip Te Whare into shape.

Te Whare is off-contract at the end of 2024 and Bennett said he is doing everything possible to help the rookie succeed in the NRL. “I’ve sent Val away to get fitter – that’s the situation,” Bennett said. “He came back to pre-season way too heavy and too unfit to play NRL at that body weight. “He is doing no ball-work with us at the moment, our priority is to get him fit, so I’ve asked ‘Chopper’ Burgess to help out.”

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The article then goes on to talk about "Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess"

Wayne goes on to say he needs to drop a cool 11kg!

11kg is a lot!

Te Whare finished the season weighing in at 125kg and reportedly gained 4kg over one weekend leading into pre-season.

125kg is huge. In the top 10 heaviest players in the competition but not even close to the top 50 tallest.

 

[Red]

I know this isn't about pre-season games but about the pre-season only but anyway

---

Bennett sends Dolphins star Valynce Te Whare to boot camp to get weight under control​

After being banished from pre-season training, Wayne Bennett has ordered a Dolphins star to attend a one-on-one boot camp​

Wayne Bennett has revealed Dolphins cult figure Valynce Te Whare has been sent to a personal boot camp in a last-ditch bid to save his NRL career. Bennett said Te Whare has been stood down from Dolphins training for a fortnight and ordered to attend one-on-one ‘Fight Camp’ sessions with a personal trainer in a desperate bid to get his weight under control.

Exclusive images obtained by this masthead show Te Whare – nicknamed ‘Val Meninga’ – slogging it out in Brisbane’s humid heat with hard-nosed trainer Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess, Bennett’s former conditioner at the Bronco. Te Whare was one of the feelgood stories of 2023, making a sizzling Magic Round debut against Cronulla and attracting cult status with his bullocking frame that won him an army of admirers at the Dolphins.

But Bennett fears the 23-year-old’s ballooning weight could destroy his promising NRL career. The explosive centre finished the season at 125kg and after putting on 4kg during one weekend on the eve of the new pre-season, Bennett had enough, calling on the no-nonsense methods of Burgess to whip Te Whare into shape.

Te Whare is off-contract at the end of 2024 and Bennett said he is doing everything possible to help the rookie succeed in the NRL. “I’ve sent Val away to get fitter – that’s the situation,” Bennett said. “He came back to pre-season way too heavy and too unfit to play NRL at that body weight. “He is doing no ball-work with us at the moment, our priority is to get him fit, so I’ve asked ‘Chopper’ Burgess to help out.”

---

The article then goes on to talk about "Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess"

Wayne goes on to say he needs to drop a cool 11kg!

Target weight is 114. Even that's huge for a centre. It would make him the heaviest centre in the comp by a decent way, wouldn't it?

 

[midlands hobo]

4kg in a weekend. Skills