COWBOYS SWEATING
Kilos shed in humidity
RUGBY LEAGUE: As the mercury and humidity soared, the sweat began to pour – so much so that it was taking kilograms off the North Queensland Cowboys’ players in one session.
Several players, including centre option Tom Opacic, lost more than 3kg during Monday’s short morning session, while others lost up to 2kg.
Opacic said there was a strict science that the players had to follow, including replenishing all lost liquids following the session as well as eating a meal.
But the extreme weight loss illustrates the hard yakka the Cowboys face in the tropical heat of the preseason – a problem not faced by any other club in the NRL.
For Opacic, the heat came as a stark reality after spending his off-season back home in Brisbane, but he was far from complaining about it.
“It started to get hot down there (Brisbane) towards the end, then I came up here and it was 80 degrees hotter,” he said.
“Compared to where I was last year, I think I am more acclimatised to the heat, but the (Monday) morning was very hot.
“We ripped in. I think everyone was dripping with sweat ... it was that hot out there, but we go through it.
“Whatever you lose, you want to put it back in, and we eat just after a session to put a bit of weight on.
“We come in and weigh in before every session and you have to weigh out straight after to know where you are sitting.
“I was at 94.8 (kg) and I came in at 91.”
Opacic has not been afraid to rip in over the first month of the pre-season, with the centre facing a tough fight for a spot in the Cowboys’ backline.
The arrival of damaging centre Esan Marsters as well as the return of Justin O’Neill and Ben Hampton from season-ending injuries means it is not a cut-anddried selection for Cowboys coach Paul Green.
But Opacic has not taken a backwards step, knowing he needs to prove his case early for selection in the opening round blockbuster against his former club, the Brisbane Broncos, on March 13.
“We had a few injuries last year, so it is probably good for the club to have a bit more depth and guys fighting for spots,” Opacic said.
“For sure (I’m fighting), I don’t think anyone is locked in across the whole outside backs.
“At the end of the day all you can do is put your best foot forward.
“I think I have started off really good.
“I have no injuries, no niggles and I haven’t had a good pre-season like that in a while.”