Be a top-five prop: Seibold challenges Manly’s Paseka
George Clarke |
For most of his NRL career, all 122kg of Manly man-mountain Taniela Paseka has tended to prioritise using his considerable matter over his mind.
But a year on the sidelines has forced the prop to flip his thinking as he looks to fulfil the belief of Sea Eagles coach Anthony Seibold that he can become one of the NRL’s elite front-rowers.
Coming off a career-best campaign in 2024 where he averaged 126m per game, Paseka looked set to become the cornerstone of Manly’s forward pack until he succumbed to a season-ending achilles injury in round three.
Unable to run for large chunks of his recovery process, the 197cm prop spent extra time with Manly’s mental skills coach Andrew May.
Paseka has always had the size and power to match it with the game’s top middles, but concedes he has yet to realise his full potential.
“Seibs has told me the type of player he believes I can be and I believe that I can get there,” Paseka told AAP.
“He knows that there’s more I can do performance wise, that I can be one of the top-five front-rowers – I just have to believe in it.
“It’s hard to believe in it when you’ve been out for a year so the start of the season will be about getting one foot in front of the other, blowing the cobwebs out and then hopefully by mid-season I’m peaking.
“I’ve done a lot of mental work with our mental skills coach when I couldn’t train.
“A lot of it is about belief, believing in what I am capable of (asking myself) ‘why can’t I be number one prop’ and stuff like that?”
Paseka feels in top knick as he prepares for his NRL comeback at home to Canberra on Saturday, despite dropping several kilos to speed up his recovery process.
The prop restricted himself to a daily intake of just 3200 calories as he fought to get back fit for Manly’s season opener.
“The biggest thing for an achilles return is you’ve got to lose weight because the less weight you have the less load on your achilles,” Paseka said.
“I was on a calorie deficit and counting calories which was really tough because I love food, but you can’t run so unless you are in a calorie deficit you can’t lose any weight.
“It was pretty shit in the first two months but as soon as the boot came off to start moving, I was excited just to run again.”
Paseka is eager to make up for lost time after sitting out last year.
The Tongan international turns 29 in October and is keen to prove he can pick up from where he left off.
“The most devastating thing is I had a lot to offer last year but I know I’ve got to work hard again,” Paseka said.
“It’s not going to just come but I know what I’ve got and I’ve got to try and bring it back out.”
AAP