Canterbury are hoping Sam Kasiano’s World Cup-extended season will mean Dogzilla can hit the ground running in 2014.
Tipping the scales at 138kg when at his peak, Kasiano is considered the heaviest forward to ever play in the NRL.
But at that weight, it’s a fine line between too strong and too slow.
Kasiano’s monster status was compromised last season by a lingering leg-injury which made it difficult for the frontrower to find match-fitness.
The prop rotation of Kasiano, James Graham and Aiden Tolman was the catalyst for the Bulldogs’ surge to the grand final in 2012, but last season the dominance wasn’t there.
But Kasiano and Graham starred for New Zealand and England respectively in the World Cup, and the signs are good for the Bulldogs’ engine room.
The pair won’t return to training until the new year, but Tolman believes playing through to the start of December will make the transition into round one of next season an easier one for key man Kasiano.
“I don’t think Sammy’s weight was an issue, more so bad luck than anything. But he has had a longer year which I think will help, he’ll get his match fitness there,” said Tolman.
“The lighter you are and the fitter you are when you come back the more it helps.
“When those two players (Kasiano and Graham) are playing well they’re very hard to stop so we need to get them both fit and firing.
“They’ll have a very limited time to come back in and train well, but they’re both professional athletes and know what they need to do to get right.”
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All the team list information for Round 9.
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