St George Illawarra Dragons coach Shane Flanagan has commended star backrower Luciano Leilua for his weight loss journey over the summer.
With a star-studded crop of young forwards progressing through the Dragons' system, Leilua has taken it into his own hands to become his best version possible in order to lock down a starting spot for the 2026 season.
This involved losing up to 15 kilograms over the preseason in a bid to rejuvenate his career before the team flies to Las Vegas for Round 1.
Flanagan, when speaking with SEN, said that he has impressed him since returning to preseason and is expecting him to step up for a strong 2026 campaign.
"He's down to about 108kg at the moment, so that's a big loss," Flanagan said.
"He's moving really well. He looks fantastic, and we're looking for a big season out of him.
"I think he's like a new signing for us to be really honest."
With new rules being implemented to speed up the modern day game, a change in tactics from coaches to benefit from the rule changes has been evident.
It has seen smaller, mobile fowards benefit from the increased time in play, leaving the big-bodies needing to adapt.
An absolute dangerous threat with ball in-hand, Leilua is set to feauture on the left edge this year for the Red V, with Flanagan stating he needed to adapt to the fast-flowing style of footy in the modern game.
"He's a big body. He was probably about 123-124kg last year at some stages, and he's such a skillful player, he's got silky hands and he understands the game real well, but we just felt that he couldn't get around in the modern game," the coach said.
"It's fast, it's hard and you need to be pretty mobile, and Luc (Leilua) has taken it upon himself to make sure he's lost some weight.
After coming through the Dragons pathways, with stints at the Tigers and the Cowboys, Leilua notched up 150 NRL games in May last year and will no doubt be looking to extend his stay at the Red V with a strong 2026 season.
Leilua has been rested for this weeks trial match against the Newcastle Knights at Jubilee Stadium this weekend, however is set to feature in the clubs endeavour across the Pacific Ocean to Las Vegas for the NRL seasons opening night.
