So that's it for Val. He's gone.
Dolphins cult hero Te Whare won’t be offered new contract
Things have turned sour for explosive Dolphins wrecking ball Valynce Te Whare.
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.