Goodbye acai: The dietary shift fuelling Pole's transformation
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Fonua Pole entered the 2026 pre-season desperate to make a change.
After a frustrating injury-interrupted 2025 campaign, the Wests Tigers prop knew something had to change this year.
Pole consulted with the club's strength and conditioning staff and came to the realisation he had to make a big sacrifice. He had to say goodbye to acai.
Such was the 23-year-old's love for the trendy purple dish, Pole was eating two bowls a day.
Fonua Pole Try
Promoted online as the latest superfood packed with antioxidants and health benefits, the bowls are loaded with sugar. They're a delicious treat in moderation but not what you want when you're a professional rugby league player.
"I was eating a lot of acai bowls, pretty much every day," Pole said. "Too much sugar. I still have them but I've got it down heaps because I used to have it sometimes twice a day.
"[My focus has been on] being smarter with my training and watching my eating. I've had some bad habits I've been living with, which is bad considering I'm a footy player.
"I'm trying to fix that and be disciplined with my eating habits and my training as well. [Peter Moussa] our head of performance has been managing me pretty well because I think I do sometimes a bit too much off the field so that's been my focus this year."
Match: Wests Tigers v Cowboys
Round 2 -
home Team
Wests Tigers
9th Position
away Team
Cowboys
14th Position
Venue: Leichhardt Oval, Sydney
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
The physical change in Pole has been remarkable and he provided fans a glimpse of his new look with a dominant performance in the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge.
Coming off the bench in the week two win over the Panthers, Pole ran for 157 metres with two tackle breaks to set the stage for what he hopes will be a breakout season.
Having made his NRL debut in 2022, the prop is set to commence his fifth year in the top flight when the Tigers open their campaign against the Cowboys at a sold-out Leichhardt Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Fonua Pole Try
Pole's transformation has been turning heads at the club's Concord base all summer and five-eighth Jarome Luai is excited to see the prop convert an intense pre-season into results on the field.
"I'm a big fan of Fonua," Luai said. "What he does on and off the field and what he is for our team culturally is important. He's fun to be around but when he gets out there and crosses that white line, he gets his work done.
"We need him to have a big year this year. He knows that and he's set the bar high for himself this pre-season. All the boys are trusting the work we've done, now it's time to go have some fun."
Having found his feet in the NRL throughout the past few seasons, Pole enters the 2026 campaign desperate to take his game to another level.
The promising prop recognises he is entering his prime and hopes the lifestyle changes will allow him to have an even greater impact on the field.
Wests Tigers v Cowboys: Round 2
While he is still only 23, Pole has developed into a key figure in the Tigers pack as they look to play finals football for the first time since 2011.
"I wouldn't put a lid on [what we can achieve] but it's a good start to say top eight is the goal," Pole said. "We haven't played finals in a long time.
"I was nine, I was still at school [in 2011]. Hopefully we can play a bit of finals footy, I want to get a taste of it. I've never experienced it before so hopefully it's this year."
