IN the world of professional sport, there’s an emphasis placed on performance.

But before the athletes can get on the field and even play a game, the hard work happens in the gym and on the training paddock.

College recruiters and talent scouts across the US place a high importance on a player’s ability to test well.

Vertical jumps, acceleration levels, speed over 40 metres and body weight strength is just skimming the surface.

Round 20

It’s a world relatively foreign to Australian sport.

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Manly player Marty Taupau lifting huge weights . Source: News Corp Australia

Sure, this country tests their athletes and tracks the improvement in their performances in both games and training situations.

But unlike in America, in the NRL, you seldom read about it.

That’s why foxsports.com.au has launched an investigation into the best performing players in testing over all 16 teams of the competition.

Here’s what we found.

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BRONCOS

Brisbane tests the fitness level of their players by using anaerobic intermittent testing, a beep test of sorts, which is rugby league specific.

Andrew McCullough and Darius Boyd are the best performers.

Broncos performance director Jeremy Hickmans said level 21 is the highest result he has ever seen and it’s McCullough and Boyd who share the record.

“The test we do is fairly specific to the sport,” Hickmans told foxsports.com.au.

“These two have been pushing each other all year so it’s no surprise they produce the performances they do on the field each week.”

BULLDOGS

When it comes to the gym, forward Tim Browne tops a lot of their testing.

The Dogs do a lot of pulling stength exercises in the weights room, with Browne recording a 160kg lat pull-down for three reps.

“We have a new trainer (this year in) Donny Singe and (when) Harry Harris (was here, he) did a lot of pulls too,” Browne said.

“I don’t mind a chin up or a pull-down or bench pull. It’s all pull exercise which is a bit different.”

Browne’s seated row is just as impressive, with the Penrith-bound prop pulling 300 pounds (136kg).

SHARKS

Paul Gallen lifting weights in the gym. Source: News Limited

Cronulla declined to volunteer any information but it’s understood Paul Gallen tops the lifts in the weights room.

Gallen regularly dead lifts 200 kilos but has notched up a personal best of 230 during the off-season.

He also squats 200 kilos.

“There’s a couple,” Wade Graham said of best performers in the weights room.

“Matt Prior is strong at everything. [Jayson] Bukuya has a really big squat and Gal loves everything. There’s a lot of competition in the gym.”

TITANS

During the pre-season, forward David Hala was the focus of the weights room.

The former Broncos tips the scales at 120 kilos and regularly bench presses 200 kilos.

The 26-year-old was released from the remainder of his contract with the Titans mid-year by mutual consent.

SEA EAGLES

Sea Eagles player Marty Taupau lifting huge weights. Source: News Corp Australia

This should come as no surprise. Marty Taupau is the biggest lifter at the club.

The Kiwi international easily performs 260 kilo dead lifts during the season but can lift a massive 310 kilos out of seasons.

These massive numbers will come as no shock to anyone who has seen him in the sheds before a game, with Taupau keeping a set of 20 kilo dumbbells handy to warm up the shoulders pre-match.

STORM

The fastest 40-metre sprint time in Melbourne went to Marika Koroibete but what may surprise you is that halfback Cooper Cronk finished just behind him as the second-fastest in the team.

The Storm, however, would not provide any details around the times recorded.

“We have a good trainer,” Koroibete. “He gives us a good technique so I’m faster. I worked on my speed more and got a bit extra on it.”

RAIDERS

Jordan Rapana runs toward the try line. Source: Getty Images

When it comes to speed, Jordan Rapana is the quickest over 10 metres.

The Raiders only test speed over a short distance so they can focus on a player’s speed off the mark and acceleration.

Rapana recorded 1.55sec, Jack Wighton 1.59 and Blake Austin 1.60 seconds.

In the weights room, Paul Vaughan dominates the testing.

He boasts a 1 RM power clean of 135 kilos and back squat of 220 kilos.

Head of physical performance Nigel Ashley-Jones told foxsports.com.au that the Raiders cycle their training in a bid to keep strength throughout the season.

“We make every day a test day and don’t stop to test,” he said.

“You’re pretty much under the pump throughout every session. We try and keep the blokes at the levels they finished the pre-season on throughout the season, which is a massive challenge but that’s the way it is.”

KNIGHTS

Jake Mamo of the Knights in action. Source: Getty Images

To kick off the pre-season testing, Newcastle always starts with the beep test.

This year, Jake Mamo topped the test with 14.7 (Level 14 and Shuttle 7).

Head of physical development Colin Sanctuary said: “A high level of aerobic ability is key for a player like Jake Mamo, who plays a mixture of positions in the outside backs, particularly, for example, when he is at fullback.”

COWBOYS

North Queensland would not provide any specific details but did divulge the following.

Winger Tautau Moga tops the team in weighted chin-ups, while Ray Thompson and Kyle Laybutt are among the strongest pound-for-pound athletes.

Thompson and Josh Chudleigh lead the way on aerobic fitness, and Johnathan Thurston and Rory Kostjasyn have the lowest skinfolds.

PANTHERS

Josh Mansour during Penrith training in the gym. Source: News Corp Australia

Penrith strength and conditioning coach David Boyle has revealed that Josh Mansour is the best at deadlifting for Penrith.

The NSW Origin flyer dead lifts 270 kilos for one rep.

“He’s totally anaerobic — fast twitch muscle fibres,” Boyle said.

“We revert back to 1 RM’s every week. He stays above 85 per cent all the time. We work it out in terms of the reps.

“That’s the biggest dead lift in the club. That’s pure strength. Absolute strength.”

WARRIORS

Warriors head of athletic performance, Balin Cupples, provided this information on a few of the players from pre-season testing.

Thomas Leuluai is the strongest outside back at the club. The five-eighth bench presses double his body weight. Leuluai tips the scales at 86 kilos which gives him a bench of 172 kilos.

In the forwards, Jacob Lillyman Box squats 2.4 times his body weight. Lillyman weighs in at 106kgs.

When it comes to conditioning, winger Jonathan Wright tops the outside backs. He completed their 1.2 kilometre shuttle run in four minutes and 30 seconds.

ROOSTERS

Roosters Blake Ferguson re gathers and makes a break . Source: News Corp Australia

When it comes to speed at the Roosters, you’d probably expect Latrell Mitchell to top the testing but the results may shock you.

The pre-season records show 103 kilo centre-turned-fullback Blake Ferguson is the fastest player over 40 metres.

Ferguson has clocked 4.82sec, which is the club’s top speed.

EELS

Before he was granted a release, Kieran Foran was known as one of the strongest pound-for-pound players at the Eels.

Before the 90 kilo playmaker suffered a season ending shoulder injury, he could bench almost double his weight.

Another former Eel in Junior Paulo was also one of their heavy lifters in the gym, before leaving mid-year to join Canberra.

RABBITOHS

South Sydney were unable to assist us with any information for this story.

DRAGONS

Euan Aitken of the Dragons scores a try. Source: Getty Images

This season, both Euan Aitken and Mitch Rein have been the standouts in the many Yo-Yo tests taken on the field.

The Yo-Yo is structured differently to the beep test but a good way for the Dragons to measure the players’ fitness levels.

To date, both have scored in the 20s, with Aitken taking out the first three and Rein the most recent test.

TIGERS

Tigers fullback James Tedesco is thought to be one of the fastest players in the game over 40 metres.

A trainer, who has worked with Tedesco at rep level but asked not be identified, told foxsports.com.au that the 23-year-old can run a 40 in 4.8 seconds.

This writer is on Twitter @Nath_Ryan

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