How Queensland’s strongest-ever footballer rocketed into Test frame

Massimo De Lutiis’ name, steeped in his Italian heritage, carries much poetic weight.

“It means maximum or maximum power,” the softly spoken, 126-kilogram prop said.

Few men come stronger than De Lutiis.

Massimo De Lutiis after hitting his bench press record.

In fact, there has never been a football player in Queensland across all codes to produce the numbers he has – his 202.5-kilogram bench press bettering those of Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou (200 kilograms) and late Maroons and NRL legend Carl Webb (185 kilograms).

The Queensland Reds star in the making has inked a two-year deal to remain at Ballymore until the end of 2026 and, despite not making his Super Rugby Pacific debut, he has rocketed into Wallabies calculations.

De Lutiis has been training alongside a host of Test hopefuls in Brisbane in a bid to impress coach Joe Schmidt of his selection credentials for the Wallabies and Australia XV Spring tours.

The Wallabies triumphed just once during the Rugby Championships, and the hulking forward could yet be a surprise inclusion.

Massimo De Lutiis training with Reds and Western Force Wallabies squad hopefuls at Ballymore.

His exploits lifting weights had him on track for his first appearance in Reds colours before a torn quad kept him sidelined.

“But you can’t just go out there and bench press,” he said.

“You have to transfer it to the field and in scrums and all that. You can’t just lift big numbers and expect to win out there.”

As for whether he can lift more: “We’ll see.

“I had the injury at the time, so I was doing bench like four times a week, and it just shot up.

“The coaches are telling you to move onto the next thing – what can you do now – rather than dwelling. All the boys were getting around me, and I was obviously happy about it.

While De Lutiis was yet to taste Super Rugby, his efforts against foreign sides have been impressive since he debuted against Robbie Deans’ Japanese outfit Saitama Wild Knights last year.

He was responsible for buckling a scrum just metres from his own line in the dying stages to secure a two-point win, before earning a starting debut in Tonga.

There are no expectations whatsoever [from Schmidt]. Obviously, I’m going to try my best, but that’s up to him to decide.”

Massimo De Lutiis

But a Reds teammate, Hunter Paisami, saw the makings of a future star during his 14-week recovery, and the way he turned it from a setback into a benefit.

“Individually preparing himself for sessions was one of the biggest things for me. He kept doing his knee stuff, hammy stuff, just to get ready to go out on the pitch and train the way he plays,” Paisami said.

“I’ve watched him, and he’s trained the house down. He works his butt off, and I know when the opportunity does come for him, he’ll definitely be ready and will take it.”

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