Raymond Faitala-Mariner has revealed how he lost six kilograms after being bed-ridden with a bout of pneumonia as the Bulldogs prepare to send Josh Reynolds out in style at Belmore Oval.
Faitala-Mariner, who made his 100th NRL appearance for Canterbury in last Sunday’s 36-32 defeat of South Sydney, is yet to regain full fitness but would have been devastated to miss Saturday’s sold-out Broncos clash.
The 29-year-old is the only survivor from Reynolds’ previous Belmore farewell in 2017 and expects a repeat of those emotional scenes as the former Origin star finishes his career in the earlier NSW Cup match against North Sydney.
However, Faitala-Mariner’s main focus is helping the NRL team overcome the Broncos, who have not played for more than 25 years at the suburban venue that doubles as Canterbury’s spiritual home as well as the club's training base.
The Kiwi international will start in the front-row, despite being yet to regain the 6kg he dropped from his official playing weight of 110kg after being diagnosed with pneumonia in May.
After a week in hospital, Faitala-Mariner was confined to bed for a further four weeks before he regained the energy to begin training, and he is still impacted.
Bulldogs v Broncos: Round 20
“It started off like a ‘flu and then there was this one training session where it was really cold,” Faitala-Mariner said. “I shouldn't have trained but I trained anyway - I trained, being ill - and one thing led to another.
“I was in the hospital, I did a few blood tests, and they came back that I had pneumonia. I was in hospital for a week, and I was bed-ridden for about four weeks.
“Last week was my second game back and I could feel it in the lungs, man.”
Faitala-Mariner has been working with Bulldogs head of performance Travis Touma but he is yet to regain the six kilograms he lost while sick - and he may not want to.
"I actually thought pneumonia was only for the elderly people until I spoke to the doctor and he said anyone can get it,” Faitala-Mariner said.
“I was thinking, ‘I am taking my vitamins and all my calcium, and my B vitamins and all of that’. It was like ‘flu symptoms, I was real achy, feverish, I wasn’t really hungry.
I lost six kilos being bed-ridden. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
"I stay by myself, but I have a partner who was being a part time nurse, you could say. She was coming over and dropping off dinner and heading back to her place.
“I haven’t really got back to my weight yet, I’m still pretty light at the moment. I want to try and keep my weight around this level, I like being light.
“I think it is more about blowing the cobwebs out and getting the kilometres back in my legs, so I am doing a lot of extra training at the moment with Travis. I am not liking it but I know it is good for me.”
Josh Reynolds announces retirement
Faitala-Mariner missed seven matches for the Bulldogs and said it had been frustrating watching the team's on-field struggles but he is looking forward to playing at Belmore and helping the club finish the seasons strong.
While the Broncos are top of the NRL ladder, the match could be a culture shock for their players as only coach Kevin Walters and on-field trainer Allan Langer have been to Belmore as players, when the two clubs last met there in 1998.
Darren Lockyer, Steve Renouf, Gorden Tallis and Shane Webcke were also in the Brisbane side that won 20-12 against Canterbury, whose team included Hazem El Masri, Daryl Halligan, Steve Price and Solomon Haumono.
In contrast, Belmore is a venue the Bulldogs are familiar with and it still holds a special place in the hearts of players, as well as fans, who have snapped up tickets to ensure a 17,000 sell-out to farewell Reynolds.
The 34-year-old Canterbury junior announced his retirement earlier this week in an emotional address to team-mates and media after returning to the club this season following stints at Wests Tigers and Hull FC.
“As soon as he finished his speech in front of the boys, everyone just got up and we were like, 'yeah, this week is dedicated to Josh Reynolds', so it's a good motivation for the boys," Faitala-Mariner said.
“We’ll be ready to play for him this weekend. After the game I won't be surprised if people are running onto the field and putting Josh Reynolds on their shoulders like what they did in 2017 against Newcastle."
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