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Cowboys behemoth Coen Hess has used a brutal injury layoff to chase an iconic strength record — falling just short.
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The former Queensland Origin monster hasn’t played NRL for more than 500 days due to an ACL injury, so he set his sights on matching late, great strongman Carl Webb in the gym.
Webb’s Cowboys bench press record is 185kg — which Hess nearly reached.
“I couldn’t run or anything, so I was trying to break Carl Webb’s record, but he’s still got it,” Hess told CODE Sports.
“I got pretty close, but I was trying to put on a bit of weight, and now I’m paying the price for that because I’m out running in the heat, and it’s not going too well.
“But I’ve trimmed back down and that’s out of my mind now, and I can just focus on footy.”
Hess, still just 28, will be back for the Cowboys’ trial matches and revealed he would play exclusively as a middle forward this season.
STAR’S SURPRISE CLAIM ABOUT DOLPHINS POST-WAYNE
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow has fired off an ominous warning shot to the rest of the NRL, declaring he can go faster as the Dolphins prepare for their first season without Wayne Bennett — and claiming standards have lifted at the club since the supercoach left.
Often regarded as one of the game’s fastest players, Tabuai-Fidow said we haven’t seen anything yet.
“If I do find open space I don’t go too fast because I don’t want to pull anything,” he told Code Sports.
“If I can get to the tryline with the speed I’ve got, then that’s good.
“I think I can (go faster) if I do sprint training. You’ve got to train for that. I’m getting better.”
Due to his Pacific Championship commitments, the Dolphins fullback arrived at pre-season training later than his teammates, but already he’s singing the praises of new coach Kristian Woolf.
Woolf replaced the legendary Wayne Bennett, and Tabuai-Fidow says the new coach has lifted the standards as the club aims for a maiden top eight finish.
“The standards have gone up a level,” he said.
“We all needed that coming off last year where we fell off.
“The way Woolfy, Rory (Kostjasyn) and ‘Fieny’ (Nathan Fien, assistant coaches) are pushing the boys … they’ve all put their hand up, willing to work hard for each other.
“We dropped off a little bit. Our standards weren’t as high as they are now coming into the pre-season with the way the boys have been training.
“The standards have gone through the roof and the mental state has too. If that makes me get up to their standards then I’ll be a better player.”
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow of the Dolphins.Source: Getty ImagesSHARKS’ VEGAS HICCUP
The Sharks’ preparations for their Las Vegas blockbuster against Penrith in early March have had a hiccup due to the tragic fires in Los Angeles.
Cronulla will leave Australia for the United States on February 20, landing in Los Angeles where they were meant to stay for five nights and hold their main training session.
However, the devastating fires has thrown a spanner in the works, with the Sharks now due to leave for Las Vegas a day earlier on Monday the 24th and do their main session the following day according to Code Sports.
The Sharks are the only team of the four heading to the US to spend time as a squad in Los Angeles.
The Raiders, Panthers and Warriors will all arrive in Vegas on February 20 and spend the entire week in Sin City leading up to the game on March 1 (local time).
Sharks football manager Mark Noakes said because of the current “confusion” in LA, it was hard to organise a training field in the city.
“Because of what’s happened recently unfortunately with the fires and all the confusion over there, I couldn’t really facilitate a field for us,” Noakes told Code Sports.
“So we’re going to Vegas a day early on the Monday, and will do our main training session on the Tuesday in Vegas.”
NAPA’S NEXT MOVE
Former Roosters premiership winner Dylan Napa has signed a contract with famous club and Ron Massey Cup defending Premiers the Glebe Dirty Reds for the 2025 season.
The 32-year-old played the last two of his 178 NRL games in 2023 for the Roosters, who he won premierships for in 2013 and 2018.
He also played 54 games for the Bulldogs and 20 games for Catalans in the Super League as well as seven Origins for the Maroons and four Tests for the Cook Islands over his career.
“Welcome to the Glebe Dirty Reds Dylan Napa!” the club announced on X, formerly Twitter.
The Dirty Reds also announced the signing of former Tigers and Bulldogs player Asipeli Fine, who played 14 NRL games from 2014 to 2018.
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And former Sea Eagles and Panthers star Dean Whare, who scored 31 tries in 130 NRL games from 2010 to 2020 also re-signed in a big boost for the club.
The 35-year-old also played 51 games in the Super League for Catalans and Londo and 19 Tests for New Zealand.
Whare was a member of the 2024 Ron Massey Cup winning Glebe side and with Napa and Fine on board, the Dirty Reds will be looking to go back-to-back in 2025.
The Glebe Dirty Reds claim to be rugby league’s oldest club and their historic 2024 title was 116 years in the making.
Glebe’s top grade team secured its first ever title in the Ron Massey Cup last September, beating Wentworthville 19-6 in the Grand Final at Leichhardt Oval.
Glebe led the decider the whole way through, with two second half tries to former Wests Tigers winger David Nofoaluma sealing a drought-breaking title.
Nofoaluma and Whare added class to the side, and president Darren Flynn praised the knowledge and experience the pair passed on to the young squad.
“It was really fortunate for us to secure the pair. Dean finished a stint in France and wanted to have a run with his mates,” Flynn told The Daily Telegraph after the decider.
“David went over to Salford and came back at a bit of a loose end. They’ve both been fantastic in passing their knowledge onto the younger players and have been great clubmen.
“Their attitude towards playing at a lower level has been superb. They’re two guys that have achieved a lot and they’ve been prepared to give back.
“The way he played in the grand final, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone in the NRL picked up David.”
Flynn hopes last year’s title is just the beginning of a dynasty for the Dirty Reds and Napa and Fine’s signings will go a long way to helping that goal.
“We have great aspirations and would love to win a couple in a row. We’ll be looking to put a competitive side on the park,” he said.
“We’re keen to get a women’s team up and running again in the next few years. We want to keep growing and love being a part of the Roosters.
“We’ve had 13 players come through here and go on to make their NRL debut. It’s only the beginning.”
