Tools down as chippie Zac Lipowicz finally cracks NRL
Jasper Bruce |
The day Penrith carpenter Zac Lipowicz was told he’d be making his NRL debut, he clocked in at 5am on site before rocking up at Panthers headquarters clad in hi-vis and mud.
It was another big effort from Lipowicz, especially given it wasn’t that long ago he had dreaded even going to footy training after a full day’s work.
Overweight and unmotivated, second-rower Lipowicz had almost given up on his NRL dream.
If not for the support of loved ones, it’s unlikely he’d have earned a fairytale debut against Canterbury on Thursday, when Penrith rested 16 of their regular starters ahead of finals.
“There was a time there probably three or four years ago, some of the (Panthers) staff would know, I was struggling a bit, overweight and lazy as, unfit,” Lipowicz said after the Panthers’ 28-4 loss.
“I was waking up knowing I had training and thinking, ‘I don’t want to go to training this arvo’.
“It was probably one of the worst things I could think of doing. It was a pretty tough time. But family and a couple of friends stuck by me and ripped into me.”
Focusing on his job outside of football put Lipowicz back on track as well.
Around Panthers headquarters, the 23-year-old has become known as the guy who arrives at training in full work gear, looking like he’s there to lay bricks rather than tackles.
But the hi-vis get-up and work boots are badges of honour for Lipowicz.
“Getting to the site early and ripping in all day. That was definitely the biggest thing (that turned things around),” he said.
“I tried to get extra sessions in when I could, when I wasn’t training, and just started to enjoy it again.”
On Tuesday, Lipowicz’s long wait finally came to an end when coach Ivan Cleary told him he’d be making his NRL debut.
“As soon as I found out, emotions (went) through the roof,” he said.
Though Lipowicz ended up going to the sin bin for a hip-drop tackle on Matt Burton and is facing a $1,000 fine, it’s unlikely to sour his memories of what is set to be his only taste of NRL for the time being.
“(The game) was definitely very fast, very physical. But I enjoyed it, definitely,” he said.
But a debut for the four-time reigning NRL premiers is just the beginning for Lipowicz.
In a matter of weeks, the second-rower will pack his bags and move to the south of France to join Super League side Catalans on a two-year deal.
Lipowicz doesn’t drink wine and is yet to learn any French, but you could forgive him for being preoccupied; he’s about to become a full-time athlete for the first time.
“Obviously you want to stay here, play in the NRL, best footy in the world but I can’t say no to something like that if it comes up,” he said.
For the time being, Lipowicz will keep rolling his sleeves up as a chippie.
Now that he’s an NRL player, he’s hopeful his workmates might start shouting the knock-off beers to toast his success.
“Hopefully it’s all freebies,” he said with a laugh.
AAP
