NRL 2021: Joey Leilua opens up on ugly 2020 season, pre-season weight loss

Joey Leilua admits he was below his best in 2020. But after dropping ten kilos and fixing his attitude, the Tigers powerhouse is ready to repay the faith.

Luciano Leilua is looking forward to playing alongside James Roberts. Picture: Toby Zerna

Joey Leilua knows exactly what you think about his first season with the Tigers — in fact, he agrees with you.

Leilua arrived from the Raiders with plenty of fanfare and high expectations which, by his own admission, he didn’t come close to fulfilling in 2020.

Leilua struggled with the move back to Sydney, served a long suspension for an ugly coathanger on Penrith’s Dylan Edwards and struggled to replicate the form that twice won him Dally M centre of the year honours.

But since the Tigers’ season ended the 29-year old has knuckled down, dropped a stack of weight and set his sights on once again becoming one of the NRL’s top centres.

“Everyone expected a lot, when you buy someone you expect to get the old them and I wasn’t that,” Leilua said.

Joey Leilua admits he had an off year in 2020, but is ready to make up for it in 2021.

“I think I disappointed myself and the fans, I let myself down.

“There was a lot of stuff going on, but at the same time you have a job to do and you have to do it as best you can and I didn’t do that.

“I let myself down, but especially my teammates, which is why I wanted to come back in the right shape this year — to prove that what I’ve done in the past is in the past.

“I let them down, and it put the fire in me for this pre-season. I want to show them why I came to this club.

“I want to show them I’m here to rip in, show some of the old B.J and be the new B.J here at the Tigers.”

In an effort to bring back the form of old, Leilua trained with former Raiders teammates Sia Soliola, Siliva Havili and Jordan Rapana during the break.

Joey Leilua says he’s lost over 10kgs and has fixed his attitude heading into 2020.

Leilua’s family have also relocated to Sydney, which has helped him focus on his football.

“It was good to train down there and get fit and come back to the Tigers and prove to the coaching staff and my teammates that I’m ready to rock and roll because last year wasn’t even close to what I’m capable of,” Leilua said.

“My head wasn’t there, I was thinking more about my family, how my kids would feel without their dad.

“The other main one for me is eating a lot cleaner. There was a lot of drive thru, a lot of McDonalds, but no more now — it’s been a long time now since I tasted the smell of that.”

An off-season competition with brother Luciano about who would come back lighter was further fuel for Leilua — even though the younger man won.

Joey Leilua went head to head with brother Luciano over who would start the pre-season fitter.

MORE NEWS

Transfer Watch: Panthers’ Tigers switch hits snag

Tigers backing new halves to fill Benji’s boots

“He did win. It was close, but I’ll give it to him, he won. But he was in better shape to start, if we’re talking about shedding kilos I got him by a lot,” Leilua said.

“He beat me to it, so I said ‘let the old bull rest, save it for Round 1’.

“He encouraged me this pre-season, I didn’t want to let him down. He was one of my main pushes. I want to be the real big brother in the family, I want to show him the ropes.”

Leilua finds himself in a similar position to the start of his time in Canberra - he joined them mid-season from Newcastle in 2015 and had a similarly slow start.

But a huge effort in the 2016 pre-season transformed his career. He emerged as one of the NRL’s most destructive players, won his first centre of the year gong and never looked back.

“In 2015 I trained my arse off during the break before pre-season. That’s what kickstarted me, so this year I did the same thing,” Leilua said.

“I want to show them why they bought me in the first place, so I ripped in.

“I want to be coming out of the red zone with as many carries as I can to help the team get some momentum and once we get into shape I want the ball as a strike weapon.

“I would never limit myself. I want to be the best at both. That’s always my mindset, to be the best player I can be.”

SORRY BROTHER: WHY LEILUA BOYS REMAIN SPLIT AT TIGERS

—Fatima Kdouh

Wests Tigers forward Luciano Leilua has some news for his older brother and teammate, Joey, that he’d like The Daily Telegraph to help deliver.

Leilua, a backrower, has no desire to be paired with his brother Joey, a centre, on the same edge in season 2021.

The left-edge second rower wants to be paired with new recruit and speedster James Roberts because his brother Joey just isn’t fast enough for Leilua’s liking.

“Nah, I’m telling Jimmy to come on my side ... I’m not fast so I need a fast player on my outside,” Leilua said. “So Jimmy can stay on my side.”

Joseph and Luciano Leilua share a laugh at training. Picture: Phil Hillyard

Coach Michael Maguire tested the brothers on the right edge together for the first two rounds of the 2020 season but after serious defensive issues, the coach split the pair and moved Leilua to the left side of the field.

The 24-year old flourished on the left edge and he finished the season as one of the side’s best players. But with both Joey and Roberts being specialist right centres, Maguire must decide if he risks playing the brothers on the same edge again or shift Roberts to left.

For Leilua, it’s already a forgone conclusion. He wants to play alongside Jimmy the Jet but he’s yet to break the news to his brother.

“I’ll tell him [Joey], I’ll tell him but he’ll probably read it in the newspaper … he’ll hear it from the article,” Leilua said.

While the brothers might not partner each other on the field, the pair have worked hard together to ensure both returned to pre-season training in the best shape possible.

Luciano Leilua during Tigers pre-season training. Picture: Getty Images

The duo are notorious for piling on the pounds during the off-season but Leilua is finally winning in his battle against the bulge. Gone are the days when he would report for day one of pre-season training tipping the scales at 120kg plus.

Leilua reported to his second pre-season under Maguire weighing less than his playing weight of 114kg.

“I’m around 110 or 111 kilograms,” he said. “I was happy to come back at that weight. I just have to put some muscle on now and get ready for a big season.

“I feel pretty good. I have worked hard in the off-season to try and get my eating right to try and stay in shape and get ready for pre-season. It’s probably the best shape I have been in.

“I’ve been trying to better myself and Joey has actually been good. He has kept in shape and kept up with his fitness and came in pretty fit. Now it’s just about trying to get stronger.”

Luciano Leilua says the Tigers are ready to prove the doubters wrong. Picture: Toby Zerna

Leilua said getting stronger included finding the mental resilience required to help return the Tigers into the finals arena for the first time since 2011.

The Hurstville United junior revealed Maguire had addressed the group about the importance of changing the general public’s perception that the Tigers were “soft”.

“It pisses me off, it makes me angry because I know how hard we all work,” he said. “But it’s just their opinion but we have to try and change their mind.

“I think we want to change that, the perception that everyone has.

“We want to be that hard, tough [side]. That is what he [Madge] is challenging us to be … tougher, fitter and stronger. We have to take that in and work together.”