The one percenters: Meet the men and women preparing NRL stars for peak performance
Gone are the days where players could train once a week and play first grade – we reveal the mind experts, pilates instructors, wrestling coaches and even barbers who make the modern footballer. SEE THE LIST
NRL
Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Meet rugby league’s one percenters.
They may not be seen on the sidelines or in the coaches box, but for most NRL stars and coaches they play a huge role in determining their performance on and off the field.
Gone are the days of players rocking up on game day after a week of work and a Friday night on the town.
The secret weapons in the modern game are now mind experts, pilates instructors, wrestling and boxing coaches and even barbers.
Here is an inside look at those who drive your favourite stars to peak performance, whether it’s on the field, their personal life, or even their appearance.
Dan Haesler: Performance and leadership coach
They might not admit it now, but plenty of Penrith fans had just about given up on the team’s grand final hopes last year as they trailed the Broncos 24-8 in the second half.
Not the players.
And for that they can in part thank performance and leadership coach Dan Haesler.
It may not involve running into players and scoring tries, but mental performance is becoming one of the most critical aspects of today’s NRL game.
The three-time premiership winning Panthers believe it can be the difference between winning and losing games.
Haesler, who has worked with elite athletes in various different sports has made it clear that there is more to his work than what meets the eye.
“It’s just another skillet to develop,” Haesler said.
“One of the biggest barriers to get over and for people to understand is that I’m not a psychologist, and this isn’t mental health.
“This is a performance enhancer in the same way working on your nutrition, your physical skill set, and your tactical understanding is.”
The experienced performance coach has worked with the likes of Cleary, Shaun Johnson and Stephen Crichton with the goal of preparing them for the “pressure moments”.
Haesler teaches players to stay in the moment, and it was this ability to stick to their processes which helped the Panthers fight back in the final 20 minutes of last year’s grand final.
“High performance only exists in the moment,” Haesler said.
“What takes people away from high performance is worrying or thinking about what has been … ‘Shit, Ezra scored a hat trick’, or what will be, ‘Shit, we’re gonna lose’.”
Haesler said that for players, there is a big difference between saying and doing.
While Haesler looks to provide players with clarity so they can figure out the right things that “flick the switch”, he believes the fact he isn’t the head coach and has no say in selections allows players to open up about their mental game and confidence levels.
“What I try to do is help the players process the important pieces, and help them distil a mental map, or a mental game plan that can help them go and execute what’s required,” Haesler explained.
He has also set his sights on trying to help the future players of the game, opening a program called Play Fearless for younger stars to get a head start on their mental performance.
Helen Stamatakos: Pilates
Helen Stamatakos and Pilates Insync at Menai have changed the game for players all around the NRL who are recovering from or trying to avoid injuries.
Stamatakos has trained Olympians to woodchoppers, but her work with rugby league players has caught the eye of fans all over social media.
“While I teach pilates to anyone who comes in, I pride myself that I am able to be specific to these players, and tailor programs to their backgrounds, and level of training,” Stamatakos said.
The pilates studio, which has helped the likes of Johnson, Bronson Xerri, Tyson Frizell and Kyle Flanagan overcome injuries has become a hub for the elite of the game.
Stamatakos has opened her doors for all players that need the help, even being invited to the Dragons regularly to help their entire squad.
After being in the industry for 25 years, Stamatakos believes the Dragons have jumped ahead of the pack in bringing pilates into their regular training regimen.
“Pilates should be incorporated with every club, and be given to every player,” Stamatakos said.
“The Dragons are smart, bringing me on board to work with their whole team, even though it’s tricky to fit in, they understand the importance of it, mostly for injury prevention.”
Having already developed a clientele of close to 30 former and current players, the experienced instructor can see the discipline only getting bigger among rugby league.
“There is no bigger example of why these players need pilates more than this season, look how many injuries there have been,” Stamatakos said.
“Players come tired and sore, but they know they need it, they all feel good when they do it and love it.”
Bradley Charles Stubbs: The Coach Whisperer
“I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to f---ing win.”
Bradley Charles Stubbs, better known as The Coach Whisperer, has become one of the most well-known figures in the game, with his mysterious work off the field helping bring success to a series of teams.
Stubbs earned his nickname for his reputation as the right hand man to some of the most successful coaches in the game.
Trent Robinson and Michael Maguire both found premiership success under Stubbs’ mentorship.
Maroons players were told not to mention or reference “NSW” or “the Blues” when Kevin Walters was under Stubbs’ influence.
With Stubbs by their side, Maguire broke the Rabbitohs’ 43-year premiership drought, and the Roosters became the first team in the modern era to win back-to-back competitions.
“I’m the guy that sees when there is a one per cent advantage to a coach,” Stubbs said.
“I don’t care what I see, it might even have to do with one of their closest assistants, I’ll tell the coach.
“I’m there to help the coach win the premiership.”
Stubbs, in his work, has proven he isn’t afraid to make the tough decisions if it proves the difference between a team winning a premiership and losing.
Stubbs went as far as to ban owner Russell Crowe from the dressing room of their grand final to ensure no one was deviating from Maguire’s plan and message.
Stubbs says he is willing to cross any bridge if it means moving closer to victory.
“I’ve had owners, chairmen, boards all banned in grand final week, even to go and watch the players train,” he said.
“Why? Because what can they say to the players that the coach hasn’t already said?
“They dilute the messages of what the coach put in all year, which leads to so many of them losing the grand final because egos need to be in the change room.”
Roger Fabri: Sprint coach/mentor
When Roger Fabri talks to players about hard times, they know he speaks from experience.
Fabri spent two years in jail for providing a safe house for drug supply in 2000, but has rebuilt his life … and helped guide a generation of troubled stars.
Fabri has trained some of the NRL’s best players, including the likes of James Tedesco, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, Josh Addo-Carr and Dom Young.
He’s also spent time with Bronson Xerri, Jason Saab and Josh Schuster.
And while these players have enhanced their performance on the field and elevated their games, Fabri has made it clear he wants to be more than just a sprint coach.
“Primarily my focus is performance, and I have a very strong reputation in [that] area,” Fabri said.
“But, because I am so open about my mental health on social media, and people know that I’ve had to overcome some serious adversity a lot of these boys can relate to, I now have a reputation … in NRL welfare.”
Fabri believes there is a close relationship between performance and one’s mental health.
“There’s no better case than when I was involved in 2010 with Todd Carney who was completely off the drink … and had some steadiness in his life,” he said.
“He ended up being Dally M Player of the Year … so many people credit their mental health being in a great place when they’ve had a breakout.”
Fabri has coached a number of players who were facing adversity, including Matt Lodge and Kurtley Beale.
The sprint coach said players need to better understand how to respond to bad injuries, getting dropped for poor performance or other issues in their lives.
“It’s actually easier to converse with someone [like myself] who is actually living proof of it … most people who’ve gone to jail, go back into that cycle, but I’ve turned my life around,” Fabri said.
“And I’ve done that successfully.”
Mohamad and Mustafa Srour ‘Barber Brothers’: Barber
To fans, a haircut may not seem like it would make a huge difference on the field, but there’s many players who won’t play a game without one.
Mohamad and Mustafa Srour, better known as the ‘Barber Brothers’, have become the most relied-on snippers to the stars, with interstate players even making the trip down to one of their two Sydney-based stores.
“The players choose to come here because they know they are taken care of, we respect them and know how important it is that they look good for the game,” Mohamad said.
“All the boys that come here are mates, I met all of them through another player and to develop these relationships is very important.
“Shaun Johnson used to tell me, ‘Look good, feel good, play good’.”
The brothers have had hundreds of players sit in their chair, crediting the likes of Cameron Munster, Payne Haas, Jack Bird, Damien Cook among those who helped build their business.
Even Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo has dropped in for a game-day fade.
“As much as we help the players look the way they do, they have made our life and jobs better,” Mohamad said.
“Kids look up to these guys, and they come in because their favourite players come, which has been amazing for us trying to build our business.
“Without the players coming to our stores, we would still be small.”
Now owners of stores in Woolooware’s Bay Central, right next door to Shark Park and Cronulla, the brothers have proven their relationships with the players means much more than business.
They even provided them with equipment to cut hair when in the Covid bubble.
“Getting a haircut can completely change a player’s confidence,” Mohamed said.
The pair are often asked to travel to team hotels before the players take the field.
Kai Kara-France: UFC fighter and Warriors’ wrestling coach
He is one of the UFC’s most dangerous flyweights and now Kai Kara-France has looked to transfer his wrestling skills to the Warriors.
Working across all grades in Auckland, the long-time fan has used his experience fighting in the UFC to share skills adaptable to rugby league.
“I’m not here to teach these boys how to play rugby league, I’m here to stay in my field, which is purely contact related,” Kara-France said.
Knowing the side already had previous wrestling coaches, he still chose to build from the ground up, bringing his own style to the Warriors’ defensive game.
Having never played rugby league, Kara-France may seem out of his depth, but the Kiwi has found many similarities to his chosen sport.
“Body awareness, being efficient with your energy, there are so many things which cross over to rugby league from martial arts,” he said.
“Even the mindset, in fighting it’s all on you. It’s an individual sport, you need a team to prepare but ultimately you need to deal with that pressure with no one to hide behind.
“On the field it may look like you have a team to hide behind, but what we try to install in the boys is being accountable with your actions, which is the same with fighting.”
Justin Fitzgerald: Boxing
The players may not be allowed to throw punches on the field, but boxing coach Justin Fitzgerald has given some the chance to let rip off it.
Fitzgerald has coached two of the NRL’s scariest men in Junior Paulo and Reagan Campbell-Gillard for professional boxing matches in their time away from the field.
It’s also helped with their rugby league conditioning.
“These players are competitive people, and sometimes it can be hard to switch off,” he said.
“It’s an outlet where they can come and learn something new compared to doing the same things on the footy field, and the crossovers are more common than people think.”
Fitzgerald’s Stand Strong Boxing Gym has become a home for NRL players, and even opened its doors for the Eels squad to do sessions earlier this year.
“Like boxers, these guys are judged hard,” Fitzgerald said.
“One minute everyone loves them, the next they don’t, so away from training I will always provide that extra ear.”
Fitzgerald, who has trained the likes of former UFC champion Robert Whittaker and former super-middleweight boxing world champion Sakio Bika, has seen similarities between his fighters and rugby league players.
“Both Junior (Paulo) and Reg (Campbell-Gillard) brought their discipline from the field to the gym, their professionalism was amazing,” Fitzgerald said.
“Above all the best thing they brought over was their coachability.
“It’s so important in any aspect no matter what field, they listen, learn and make it work.”
Peter Breen: Kicking coach
Kicking has become a pivotal part of today’s game, and former rugby union player Peter Breen has made it a mission to help bring expertise to NRL clubs.
“Kicking is crucial, and it does win games,” said Breen.
“The ability to go up in sixes rather than fours is a crazy advantage, and when talking about scoreboard pressure, that is it.”
After being sought after by Ryan Papenhuyzen, Breen took up an opportunity to help the Storm with their kicking and says he was “amazed” by their natural talent.
“They were very good at what they did, the thing I provided and helped them with was detail, and game pressure, getting tidy and confident with the process,” he said.
Breen has also taken notes from working with Craig Bellamy, watching the Storm supercoach implement strategies around his players’ kicking game.
“Seeing how our kicks can turn into big defensive pressure is allowing the players to really understand getting the ball to a certain spot, which is crucial in winning games,” Breen said.
Since starting Rugby Bricks, Breen has not only provided the likes of the Tigers, Storm and Bulldogs with coaching, but his kicking tee design has also become popular.
More Coverage
Originally published as The one percenters: Meet the men and women preparing NRL stars for peak performance
Ex-NRL star’s impressive heavyweight KO
Alex Leapai Jr, a promising NRL front-rower before making the switch to boxing, has impressed with a dominant knockout.
Bulldogs ramp up Hunt chase after missing out on Storm star
The Bulldogs are set to turn their attention back to Ben Hunt, after Canterbury supremo Phil Gould failed in a secret last-ditch attempt to poach Melbourne Storm star Ryan Papenhuyzen.