Penrith star Lachlan Coote stacks on 10kg in off-season
WHAT exactly is in the water at CUA Stadium?
Gone is the scrawny Lachlan Coote you might remember from 2009 - the Panthers fullback has bulked up in pre-season training and has shoulders big enough to pound a prop forward.
The 19-year-old now tips the scales at 85kg - this time last year he was one of the lightest players in the competition at just 75kg.
The incredible transformation of the once lightly framed speedster comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed teammate Jarrod Sammut had also upsized 10kg in pre-season.
Coote credited Penrith strength and conditioning coach Carl Jennings for his "new body", with the drill sergeant designing the youngster's weight routine and diet since October. The No. 1 spent only two weeks on holidays in October before hitting the gym harder than ever with Jennings' six-month plan to pump up the Penrith junior and get him on level pegging with the game's biggest builds.
"I'm now at the weight that I want to be," Coote said at CUA Stadium yesterday.
"I'm at the weight I kind of need to be. You can probably tell that my size was a disadvantage and it was the main reason for a few problems I had with injuries. I needed to bulk up so I'm prepared to play against these men. I think I can play my best footy at this weight."
While Coote wasn't afraid to throw his tiny frame around in 2009 against players 30kg heavier, the big hits took their toll with a series of injuries marring an otherwise breakthrough 2009 season. A shoulder injury saw him miss the second half of the 2009 premiership.
Coach Matt Elliot said Coote was still his "favourite option" to wear the Panthers' No. 1 jersey but could not guarantee him a spot in the starting 13. Coote's "new body" will have its first test on Saturday night in Port Macquarie when Penrith take on the Knights in their last trial before their opening premiership clash with the Raiders at CUA Stadium on March 13.
"[Jennings] was great, he put a lot of pressure on me to meet targets every week and it really helped me," said Coote.
Coote said the added kilos had not affected his speed, but it was nearly impossible for the "little guys" to match it with hulking forwards without riskinginjuries. "If you put your mind to it you can still be the little guy running around, but I had to get out of that," he added.
