https://www.nswrl.com.au/news/2018/05/03/i-had-a-bad-pre-season-vave/
With 95 NRL games to his credit and at 28 years of age, Siosaia Vave is one of the oldest in the Wentworthville Magpies outfit – which means he knows exactly where he needs to improve
The four-time Tonga representative was a notable omission from the Parramatta Eels' NRL outfit, with whom he spent most of 2017, when the Round 1 team was named in March. Since then, Vave has continued to ply his trade for the Magpies, despite a number of selections on the Eels' extended bench.
The relegation to the Intrust Super Premiership, Vave says, was caused by a slow start to 2018."
"Myself, I had a real bad pre-season," Vave told NSWRL.com.au following Wentworthville's defeat of Western Suburbs. "I've just got to really strip maybe two to three kilos.
"My football I don't think is the problem, it's just getting around the park. NRL is real fast, so I've had maybe the last month or so here and I'm doing my best to try and strip some weight. Hopefully from there I can put my best foot forward for NRL."
The honest admission speaks of Vave's positive attitude, and he remains determined to return to the top grade. Playing in a side which has recently hit form, however, the front-rower knows he has some healthy competition.
"Obviously you've got to have a good mindset to come back and play well," Vave adds. "If you don't you'll be kicking stones most of the season – and it's a long season. Any time you can get called up and do your best... hopefully when we get called up we don't come back.
"At the same time, there's a lot of blokes here pushing forward for other spots. Not just 'Kingy' (Cameron King) and 'Hoffy' (Josh Hoffman), they had an awesome game but Marata (Niukore) and also Dane Aukafolau.
"I think all the boys that come back from (training) full-time, they're doing a real good job."
Vave, alongside the likes of King, Hoffman and Kane Evans in recent weeks, has helped return the Magpies to form after a slow start to 2018. Their third consecutive win came in convincing fashion, as the Nathan Cayless-coached side toppled Western Suburbs off the top of the Intrust Super Premiership ladder – and Vave bagged a late try for his troubles. It was the first time I think we completed over 75 per cent for most of the game," Vave explained, "so we're happy with that and we got the two points over a good team.
"It's pretty easy when we're not tackling as much, but the boys did a good job to get us there. They hit me a few times close to the line and I got one at the end."We didn't go too well at the start of the season but now we're starting to find our straps and we're starting to play for each other."Vave has again been named for the Magpies as they prepare for their next challenge: the third-placed Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs at Belmore Sports Ground, kicking off at 6.45pm (AEST) on Saturday.
Replies
Why wasnt this sorted out by round 1? you dont get these stories coming out of the storm.
I agree, it begs the question of how Vave was allowed to drift in the preseason.
I think that this is his last season with us so it really highlights his lousy attitude. In effect, he is playing for his future, not just with us but with all the other NRL clubs in case we pass in re-signing him. U would have thought that he would have made sure that he was fit & ready to go from Rnd1.
If a bloke can't motivate himself then IMO we better look elsewhere.
The same can be said for ole Fairy Floss Evans except unfortunately BA signed him on a 3 year deal so I guess we r stuck with him & just have to hope that BA can get him a heart transplant.
Junior Paulo has come back from every preseason overweight aswell.
Maybe it was a big job and hard to handle.
Snake what's really interesting though and based on your question, we have had players and cannot think of his name who turned up at the first day of training following the Christmas break for the 2017 season who, had put on quite a bit of weight and he was lamblasted by the coach, no longer with us as a result.
Vave always looked to have a flabby gut, it shows in the jerseys as a result I doubt the 2 or 3 kilo's that he mentions about losing will not be enough, he needs to somehow convert the flab to muscle, rather than merely lose the weight. Players are often their own worst enemy.
VAVE IN 2016 SAME BS
Trent Barrett’s edict to Sea Eagles star Siosaia Vave: Lose weight or leave
Jon Geddes, Manly Daily
March 23, 2016 5:43pm
SEA Eagles prop Siosaia Vave rescued his NRL career this season by cutting out two schnitzels with a big side of mashed potato for dinner.
He revealed coach Trent Barrett issued him with a “heavy” edict over the pre-season- either trim down his 130kg frame or be cut from the club.
“He sat me down two weeks before Christmas and said you’ve to four weeks lose that weight and if you don’t he was going to ask me to leave and tell me to find a different club,” he said.
“Because obviously someone can’t really perform at that level at that weight.”
As hard as it was to hear, that was a real wake up call for the front-rower.
“I’ve played with Baz and we’ve got no BS between us so it was a real honesty thing,” Vave said.
TRENT BARRETT REVEALS HOW IMPORTANT BRETT STEWART IS TO MANLY
“That moment was pretty crazy. I came out of that office thinking I’ve really go to pull my finger out.
‘I know him and I played with him and I really didn’t want to let him down.
Siosaia Vave shed the kilos to save his career...Picture Gregg Porteous
“It came to a crossroads where I had to really think where I am with my family.’
Vave has a three-year-old daughter Lucy and parents who are dependent on him as well.
“As an islander you like to give back to your parents and give back to your family,” he said.
“Me losing my job because of my weight wound not be a good thing.
‘I could have been digging holes right now.’
Realising what was at stake Vave then started a tough training program and completely changed his diet, being smarter with what he ate and when he ate.
2012–13 Melbourne Storm 23 1 0 0 4
2014 Cronulla Sharks 15 0 0 0 0
2015–16 Manly Sea Eagles 23 1 0 0 4
2017– Parramatta Eels
How many clubs have let vave go due to his weight issues. He has to go
Where are you getting the $300k figure from Chief. He’d be lucky to be on $150k.
Twal was part of the deal to get Moses. Twal will be lucky to be a consistent NRL player beyond this year.
That's the rumor about Twal, but he remained unsigned until midway through his last year at Parra. If we really wanted him here we should have done a deal earlier
Agree its probably somewhere around the 300k figure, at the time Vave wasnt on bad coin at manly, i think another club wanted him too and i think i remember reading we offered him a decent salary to come, that was somewhere around the 300k mark.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next