Joey Leilua admits he was below his best in 2020. But after dropping ten kilos and fixing his attitude, the Tigers powerhouse is ready to repay the faith.
Nick Campton
December 12, 2020 - 3:33PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Joey Leilua knows exactly what you think about his first season with the Tigers — in fact, he agrees with you.
Leilua arrived from the Raiders with plenty of fanfare and high expectations which, by his own admission, he didn’t come close to fulfilling in 2020.
Leilua struggled with the move back to Sydney, served a long suspension for an ugly coathanger on Penrith’s Dylan Edwards and struggled to replicate the form that twice won him Dally M centre of the year honours.
But since the Tigers’ season ended the 29-year old has knuckled down, dropped a stack of weight and set his sights on once again becoming one of the NRL’s top centres.
“Everyone expected a lot, when you buy someone you expect to get the old them and I wasn’t that,” Leilua said.
Joey Leilua admits he had an off year in 2020, but is ready to make up for it. “I think I disappointed myself and the fans, I let myself down.
“There was a lot of stuff going on, but at the same time you have a job to do and you have to do it as best you can and I didn’t do that.
“I let myself down, but especially my teammates, which is why I wanted to come back in the right shape this year — to prove that what I’ve done in the past is in the past.
“I let them down, and it put the fire in me for this pre-season. I want to show them why I came to this club.
“I want to show them I’m here to rip in, show some of the old B.J and be the new B.J here at the Tigers.”
In an effort to bring back the form of old, Leilua trained with former Raiders teammates Sia Soliola, Siliva Havili and Jordan Rapana during the break.
Joey Leilua says he’s lost over 10kgs and has fixed his attitude heading into 2020.
“It was good to train down there and get fit and come back to the Tigers and prove to the coaching staff and my teammates that I’m ready to rock and roll because last year wasn’t even close to what I’m capable of,” Leilua said.
“My head wasn’t there, I was thinking more about my family, how my kids would feel without their dad.
“The other main one for me is eating a lot cleaner. There was a lot of drive thru, a lot of McDonalds, but no more now — it’s been a long time now since I tasted the smell of that.”
An off-season competition with brother Luciano about who would come back lighter was further fuel for Leilua — even though the younger man won.
Joey Leilua went head to head with brother Luciano over who would start the pre-season fitter
“He did win. It was close, but I’ll give it to him, he won. But he was in better shape to start, if we’re talking about shedding kilos I got him by a lot,” Leilua said.
“He beat me to it, so I said ‘let the old bull rest, save it for Round 1’.
“He encouraged me this pre-season, I didn’t want to let him down. He was one of my main pushes. I want to be the real big brother in the family, I want to show him the ropes.”
Leilua finds himself in a similar position to the start of his time in Canberra - he joined them mid-season from Newcastle in 2015 and had a similarly slow start.
But a huge effort in the 2016 pre-season transformed his career. He emerged as one of the NRL’s most destructive players, won his first centre of the year gong and never looked back.
“In 2015 I trained my arse off during the break before pre-season. That’s what kickstarted me, so this year I did the same thing,” Leilua said.
“I want to show them why they bought me in the first place, so I ripped in.
“I want to be coming out of the red zone with as many carries as I can to help the team get some momentum and once we get into shape I want the ball as a strike weapon.
“I would never limit myself. I want to be the best at both. That’s always my mindset, to be the best player I can be.”
Nick Campton
December 12, 2020 - 3:33PM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Joey Leilua knows exactly what you think about his first season with the Tigers — in fact, he agrees with you.
Leilua arrived from the Raiders with plenty of fanfare and high expectations which, by his own admission, he didn’t come close to fulfilling in 2020.
Leilua struggled with the move back to Sydney, served a long suspension for an ugly coathanger on Penrith’s Dylan Edwards and struggled to replicate the form that twice won him Dally M centre of the year honours.
But since the Tigers’ season ended the 29-year old has knuckled down, dropped a stack of weight and set his sights on once again becoming one of the NRL’s top centres.
“Everyone expected a lot, when you buy someone you expect to get the old them and I wasn’t that,” Leilua said.
Joey Leilua admits he had an off year in 2020, but is ready to make up for it. “I think I disappointed myself and the fans, I let myself down.
“There was a lot of stuff going on, but at the same time you have a job to do and you have to do it as best you can and I didn’t do that.
“I let myself down, but especially my teammates, which is why I wanted to come back in the right shape this year — to prove that what I’ve done in the past is in the past.
“I let them down, and it put the fire in me for this pre-season. I want to show them why I came to this club.
“I want to show them I’m here to rip in, show some of the old B.J and be the new B.J here at the Tigers.”
In an effort to bring back the form of old, Leilua trained with former Raiders teammates Sia Soliola, Siliva Havili and Jordan Rapana during the break.
Joey Leilua says he’s lost over 10kgs and has fixed his attitude heading into 2020.
“It was good to train down there and get fit and come back to the Tigers and prove to the coaching staff and my teammates that I’m ready to rock and roll because last year wasn’t even close to what I’m capable of,” Leilua said.
“My head wasn’t there, I was thinking more about my family, how my kids would feel without their dad.
“The other main one for me is eating a lot cleaner. There was a lot of drive thru, a lot of McDonalds, but no more now — it’s been a long time now since I tasted the smell of that.”
An off-season competition with brother Luciano about who would come back lighter was further fuel for Leilua — even though the younger man won.
Joey Leilua went head to head with brother Luciano over who would start the pre-season fitter
“He did win. It was close, but I’ll give it to him, he won. But he was in better shape to start, if we’re talking about shedding kilos I got him by a lot,” Leilua said.
“He beat me to it, so I said ‘let the old bull rest, save it for Round 1’.
“He encouraged me this pre-season, I didn’t want to let him down. He was one of my main pushes. I want to be the real big brother in the family, I want to show him the ropes.”
Leilua finds himself in a similar position to the start of his time in Canberra - he joined them mid-season from Newcastle in 2015 and had a similarly slow start.
But a huge effort in the 2016 pre-season transformed his career. He emerged as one of the NRL’s most destructive players, won his first centre of the year gong and never looked back.
“In 2015 I trained my arse off during the break before pre-season. That’s what kickstarted me, so this year I did the same thing,” Leilua said.
“I want to show them why they bought me in the first place, so I ripped in.
“I want to be coming out of the red zone with as many carries as I can to help the team get some momentum and once we get into shape I want the ball as a strike weapon.
“I would never limit myself. I want to be the best at both. That’s always my mindset, to be the best player I can be.”
