Talk about having something to fill a paper when theres nothing else worth reading
Adrian Proszenko
February 4, 2007
CHRIS Beattie is on the wrong side of 30 and hasn’t played a game in Australia for two years but can now claim to be the strongest man in the NRL.
With the first match of the season just 43 days away, The Sun-Herald contacted all 16 clubs to determine the strongest, fastest and fittest men in the game.
Nine clubs tested the maximum bench press of their players during the pre-season, and veteran prop Beattie came out on top with a one-repetition lift of 180 kilograms.
The stunning effort puts him above Melbourne forward Antonio Kaufusi, Manly premier league forward Sione Finefeuiaki and Eels trio Fuifui Moimoi, Richard Fa’aoso and Weller Hauraki, who can all bench 170kg.
New Zealand Warriors back-rower Sonny Fai registered a bench press of 185kg but is yet to make his debut in the NRL.
Their numbers are impressive, but they are well short of the mark set last season by former Manly colossus Kylie Leuluai, who benched 220kg - and did three repetitions.
Former Queensland prop Beattie, who returns to the NRL with the Sydney Roosters after a two-year stint with French Super League team Catalans Dragons, credited “good habits” and an injury-free run for his superb physical condition.
“From a weights point of view, as an older player you just program yourself ,” he said.
“After you’ve been doing it for a number of years you reach a certain strength. I believe I have got stronger at the end of my career.”
The 31-year-old, when told his lift was the highest in the league, played down the result.
“We primed ourselves for that lift,” he said. "It’s not a weight I throw around every week.
"It’s only one lift - I’m sure there are a lot of guys who do more chin-ups or push-ups.
“I don’t get too carried away with that sort of stuff.”
While Beattie’s lift is the heaviest, Sea Eagles halfback Matt Orford is, pound for pound, the strongest man in the league. Aptly nicknamed Ox, Orford can bench 160kg - twice his body weight.
Rather than measuring a one-repetition maximum (1rm) lift, several clubs tested how many times a player could bench his body weight.
St George Illawarra’s 101kg back-rower Sam Isemonger can do it 25 times, ahead of Kangaroos centre Matt Cooper (21).
Utility Luke MacDougall has also impressed teammates since joining from South Sydney, particularly after squatting his body weight 85 times on a one-legged press machine.
Several Dragons have added size to their frames in the off-season while decreasing their skinfold readings, most notably outside back Josh Morris (6kg), Cooper (4.5kg) and former Shark Beau Scott (4kg).
At the Roosters, 85 per cent of the squad are benching more this season than at any other time of their career.
Craig Wing and Anthony Minichiello are pressing 145kg and 150kg respectively.
Former Dragons hooker George Ndaira can squat 250kg and has been clocked at under five seconds during 40-metre sprints on grass.
Halfback Josh Lewis, the quickest man at the club, completed 31 chin-ups at a recent session.
Emerging forward Frank-Paul Nuuausala has trimmed from 125kg to 108kg and Willie Brown is 110kg, a far cry from the 130kg he weighed a couple of years ago.
Penrith winger Luke Rooney has knuckled down in the pre-season in an attempt to return to representative football and strength and conditioning coach Carl Jennings has rated him the club’s “best all-round athlete”.
The former Kangaroo’s figures are impressive. He can bench his own weight of 100kg 15 times, squat three times his body weight 65 times and shoulder press half his weight an amazing 49 times.
In an endurance assessment - in which Jennings tested how far the Panthers can run in one minute - Rooney recorded the best distance of 440m.
Those figures are expected to improve when the Panthers complete a round of testing this weekend.
In all, the Panthers’ skinfold levels have come down 30 per cent as part of new coach Matt Elliott’s focus on fitness and mobility.
“We’re a lot leaner and people will recognise that when we start playing,” Jennings said. “There’s no point looking like Tarzan if you play like Jane.”
Manly have gone through protein supplements worth $12,500 in the past three months in an attempt to bulk up their squad. The investment has paid off, with the players adding an average of 2.5kg of muscle during that period.
Tongan powerhouse Finefeuiaki won the Sea Eagles “strongman” contest although he does weights only once a week.
The real surprise packet has been Chris Hicks. The underrated outside back can bench his bodyweight of 90kg 27 times. He holds the club record for backs, benching 110kg 18 times and still being able to post sub-five-second 40m times.
At only 80kg, pint-sized half Travis Burns also trains above his weight - squeezing out a 150kg press.
Parramatta strength and conditioning coach Hayden Knowles believes he has one of league’s strongest men in former Rooster Richard Fa’aoso.
The Tongan international is also just behind Eric Grothe in 40m sprint testing.
“He’s the most powerful thing I’ve come across … and the quickest I’ve seen in a big guy,” Knowles said.
Benji Marshall has posted promising results in a series of “related power” assessments. Wests Tigers’ Kiwi playmaker averaged a vertical jump of 49.67cm over five jumps, pipping John Morris.
In Canberra, the average player weight has increased to 98.9kg, with 3.5kg less fat.
Leading the way in the strength department is prop Jason Williams, who benches 160kg and is able to squat 180kg for three repetitions.
Raiders strength and conditioning coach Sean Edwards, who worked with Wallabies stars during his time in rugby, described Williams as one of the strongest athletes he’s seen.
Only Souths, Brisbane, Gold Coast and the Bulldogs - who have not yet completed strength and speed testing - did not provide results or player rankings, but Brisbane’s performance director Dean Benton said the premiers were physically a month ahead of where they were at this stage last season.
