These two Wests Tigers props have slimmed down but will be impossible to miss when launching off the back fence this year.
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The Wests Tigers’ ‘Crash Bros’ who stripped 15kgs between them
Christian Nicolussi
January 31, 2026 — 4.28pm
Between them, Royce Hunt and Wests Tigers recruit Bunty Afoa say they have dropped about 15kgs. Others at the club will tell you that number sits closer to 20kgs.
Either way, Hunt and Afoa not only look fit, the unofficial “Crash Bros” are ready to launch and give the Tigers the kind of brutal one-two heavyweight punch they have lacked since Keith Galloway and Bryce Gibbs were terrorising rivals more than a decade ago.
A few things become apparent after watching a couple of Tigers training sessions this week.
Afoa will be an early contender for NRL buy of the year based on the way he moved and spoke. He looked right at home in the middle.
The 29-year-old thought he would be a New Zealand Warrior for life, only to answer an SOS from coach Benji Marshall when he was convinced he was headed to the English Super League.
“Benji wanted me to bring what I bring, which is physicality,” said Afoa, who has been easy to identify over the years when slamming into defensive lines with his long hair bobbing around.
Bunty Afoa scoring against the Tigers in his previous life as a Warrior.
Bunty Afoa scoring against the Tigers in his previous life as a Warrior.Credit:NRL Photos
“I play with aggression and try to set the tone. ‘Benj’ sees me and Royce as the ‘Crash Bros’.
“There’s so much talent here, and I’ve been trying to teach the younger boys not to be afraid of who is in front of you.”
Afoa grew up on the tough streets of south Auckland, and since relocated to Greenacre. He joked the western Sydney suburb reminded him of home, with a good sense of community and “good kebab shops around the corner”.
Kebabs and carbohydrates, and his favourite, sushi, have been kept to a minimum over the summer for Afoa who dropped to 115kg. Hunt has stripped down to 113kg after ballooning to north of 120kg.
By his own admission, Hunt fell short of expectations when he arrived from Cronulla last year, and Marshall made it clear he needed to get himself in peak physical condition for this season.
He trained nearly every day with former Cronulla teammates Sione Katoa, Oregon Kaufusi, Sifa Talakai and Perth-bound Chris Vea’ila, stopped eating after 8.30pm, spent time doing Pilates at his wife Shavaun’s studio in Blakehurst, and even completed an inflammation diet, where he gave up food for four days.
“I had a bit of hype around me coming here, but I didn’t live up to that expectation, which is on me,” Hunt said.
“I got too big. Benji and I had some good words at the end of the year, and he wanted me to reach some targets. I’ve come back in so much better shape, and you notice when you run how your knees feel better and your body feels better.
“The quality and intensity at training has been through the roof. Fonua Pole is quite strong for his age. But Bunty and I are the ones who love coming off that back fence.”
Hunt, Afoa, workhorses Terrell May and Pole, plus Alex Twal, Sione Fainu and Alex Seyfarth – another forward who thrives on the rough stuff – have given the Tigers much-needed depth.
Another recruit, Ethan Roberts, will keep Samuela Fainu and former Newcastle Knight Kai Pearce-Paul on their toes in the second-row.
