NRL 2024: Dolphins star Valynce Te Whare loses 10kg to save his career after being banished from pre-season training by Wayne Bennett

After being banished from Redcliffe by Wayne Bennett for a pre-Christmas boot camp, Valynce Te Whare has been welcomed back to Dolphins training, following his stunning weight loss.

Valynce Te Whare has saved his NRL career, being invited back to training after being banished by Wayne Bennett. Picture: Getty Images

Dolphins cult hero Valynce Te Whare has saved his NRL career.

Te Whare has been welcomed back to Redcliffe by coach Wayne Bennett after being banished to a pre-Christmas boot camp.

‘Val Meninga’ reported for pre-season training in such poor shape that he was ordered to train away from the Dolphins and prove he was serious about making it in the NRL.

And he has done exactly that.

Te Whare looked noticeably leaner when the Dolphins returned to the training paddock this week after shedding nearly 10kg.

He spent a month sweating it out under boxing trainer Mark ‘Chopper’ Burgess and has reaped the rewards of his dedication.

A slimmed down Dolphins centre Valynce Te Whare went hiking in New Zealand over Christmas. Pic: Supplied

“Val has done a remarkable job,” Burgess said.

“He came to me around 122-123kg and he weighed in this week just under 114kg, so he’s lost about nine kilos.

“His attitude at the time was ‘I’m OK, I can train at this level’. But to his credit, this has been a reality check for Val and his response has been outstanding.

“Talking to Wayne, he is ecstatic with Val’s weight and so is Jeremy Hickmans (Dolphins high-performance coach), who I’ve been talking to regularly through this whole journey.

“He has changed his mindset completely. I couldn’t believe he was the same bloke who came to me last month. It’s impressive.”

Te Whare was hard to handle last year, but out of shape. Picture: Getty Images.

Te Whare, 23, burst on to the NRL scene last year with a stunning two-try debut against Cronulla in Magic Round at Suncorp Stadium.

The rugby convert has blistering speed for a big man, but his lack of conditioning was exposed during a 12-game rookie NRL season.

Bennett’s patience with Te Whare ran out when he returned from the off-season in poor shape, prompting an ultimatum that his career was on the line and a call to Burgess to whip him into shape.

Burgess overhauled Te Whare’s diet and took him on gut-busting hill runs, boxing sessions and high-intensity cardio workouts to burn fat, with great success.

The off-contract Te Whare is now back training with the Dolphins and in the mix for round 1 of the NRL season as he strives to extend his career at Redcliffe.

Te Whare has been training hard with Mark 'Chopper' Burgess and Tesi Niu. Picture: Supplied

“This is the first step in saving his NRL career, he is now giving himself every chance to sign a new deal with the Dolphins,” Burgess said.

“Val is really humble. Initially, I had my doubts, as did a lot of people, but we’ve invested the time into Val and he’s responded. He just has to maintain his attitude now and he has the talent to do anything in rugby league.

“Even during the Christmas break, that was the big test. Val went home to New Zealand and every day he would text me about his training and diet. He was doing hikes and 30km bike rides with his partner so he never slackened off.

“Nothing out-trains a bad diet. We had a saying – ‘no carbs after 7 or you go to heaven’. So Val really overhauled his diet. He’s been prepared to take advice and he has made a genuine effort to lose weight.

“He ran up the Mt Coot-tha hills with guys like Steve Kearney and Andrew McCullough, so he’s had a team of people who helped him out.”

Burgess overhauled Te Whare’s diet and took him on gut-busting hill runs, boxing sessions and high-intensity cardio workouts. Picture: Supplied

Bennett has ramped up intensity at training since Christmas as he strives to deliver the Dolphins their first NRL finals appearance in his last season as the club’s head coach.

Broncos recruit Tom Flegler said he was impressed by the Dolphins’ culture and the team looked in good shape.

“It’s pre-season and if we don’t get this part of the season right then we’ve lost before we’ve even started,“ he said.

“All the boys are training really hard and we’ve got a month before the trial games start.

“Everyone’s in pretty good shape and tested well. We need to keep it going forward.

“Everyone here is pretty down to earth. No one is better than each other here.

“It’s a great culture. When it’s time to work, we work. When it’s time to have some fun, we have some fun.

“The boys are great to be around. There’s some larrikins in the squad. It’s a lovely place to come to work.”