NRL grand final 2024: Brian To’o’s game-day breakfast leaves Panthers teammates ‘disgusted’

Brian To’o’s pre-game meal is the stuff of legends, with his Panthers teammates left disgusted by his breakfast antics. But he must be doing something right as he prepares for his fifth straight grand final.

Six cans of Coke Zero, two breakfast burgers, a large bowl of chips, oh, and a grand final ring. It might not be the traditional breakfast of champions but according to Penrith superstar Brian To’o it is enough to fuel him for the biggest game of the year.

To’o’s game-day meals have become something of legend among his Panthers teammates who are left laughing and shaking their head at what he is able to consume. It has prompted teammate Liam Martin to declare that he would “be dying in five minutes on the field” if he elected to eat the same.

To’o will sit down on Sunday just hours before the premiership decider and consume a meal which would have the Panthers dietitian apoplectic.

Brian To’o with his grand final breakfast.

“People always get weirded out with my breakfast,” To’o said. “They think something is wrong with me but it’s all good. It will be the same this week.

“I always get two breakfast burgers, a bowl of chips and five to six Coke Zeros. Every game day. That’s just the norm for me for a very long time. I’ve been sticking with it.

“(The Panthers staff) are all right with it I guess. They haven’t said anything to me so I’m not sure in the good books.

“The hot chips must have aioli sauce.”

Whatever he is eating seems to be working, given To’o is playing in his fifth straight grand final. Picture: Getty Images

Whatever To’o is doing it must be working. Not only is he feasting on game day but he is the among the best metre eaters in the competition regularly cracking the famed 200 metre mark during matches.

To’o has been caught short on occasions though when trying to perfect his favourite meal. So much so that he now carries large bottles of Coke Zero with him for away matches whenever he is not in the Penrith area.

Martin described the meal as “disgusting”.

While his teammates disagree with his diet, To’o manages to stay in incredible shape.

“I don’t know how he is a professional athlete,” Martin said. “It’s incredible, every time we go out to brekkie on away trips I always get a photo of it because I still can’t believe it. If he’s ever worried we’re on an away trip where there will be no Coke Zeros, he brings his own.

“We were staying in Parramatta last week, we were sitting at the cafe and I noticed he didn’t have any Coke Zeros. I was just like ‘where are your cans of Coke, do you not have any?’ The next minute he pops out this 1.25L bottle of Coke Zero that he bought himself. I was just dumbfounded.”

Jarome Luai added: “He’ got a mad rig too, it’s crazy. It pisses me off that all these guys have to work hard to look good and feel good out there and he’s just doing that every day.

“I think coach was on his back about it at first, but after seeing how he plays, can you tell him to do anything differently?”

Originally published as NRL grand final 2024: Brian To’o’s game-day breakfast leaves Panthers teammates ‘disgusted’