An Australian fitness coach has fat-shamed the nation’s NRL players, insisting that despite playing professionally the footy stars ‘aren’t elite athletes’ compared to some of the biggest stars at the Paris Olympics.
Joe Murphy, coaching director of footy training centre League Fit Academy, has gone viral in a clip that shows him him savagely comparing the fitness of NRL stars to Olympic athletes.
‘The level at the NRL is not that high,’ he says in a clip that’s been shared widely across multiple social media platforms.
‘It’s not as high as what you think. Rugby league is not an elite sport, it’s a professional sport. They get paid – it’s not elite.
‘The Olympics is coming up. You have a look at the swimmers that are all lining up on those blocks. Every single one of them, there’s no body fat. Perfect V taper. They all look like clones of one another.
‘It’s the same with the 100m [track and field] sprinters. You watch when they are all lining up for the 100m final – every single one of them is shredded.
‘You don’t see a little bit of a belly hanging over the side like we do with half of the NRL players, because the NRL players are not elite.’
It seems Murphy’s assessment of footy players has struck a chord with some sports fans, with many posting their agreement.
Fitness coach Joe Murphy said Olympic swimmers (pictured) and track and field sprinters are elite athletes who show up in excellent shape with next to no body fat
In contrast, Murphy says ‘half’ of the NRL’s stars have a ‘bit of belly hanging over the side’ despite the incredible demands the game puts on their bodies (pictured, Penrith Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary)
‘Saw this on TikTok. Savage but true,’ posted one X user.
But the overwhelming response from sports fans is that footy players don’t need to be ‘shredded’ to perform at their best.
And unlike the sprinters and swimmers in Paris, who taper down in the knowledge they only have to compete a handful of times during the Games, NRL players have to endure a season that goes for at least 27 weeks.
‘Hahaha. I’d love to see a swimmer of a sprinter try and make a tackle,’ wrote one X user.
‘What has being ripped got to do with being elite at footy?’ replied another.
‘NRL is not the same as swimming or running, there are different positions that require different sizes and body shapes, it’s a silly comparison,’ said a third.
