Sydney Roosters star Jasmin Strange has revealed that the hardest part of her transition from the backs to the forwards is having to constantly force herself to eat.
After back-to-back premierships with the Knights and Roosters as a winger or centre, Strange has played every minute of every match this season in the secondrow.
While she has thrived in the positional switch, Strange has had to bulk up to handle the increased workload.
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As an example, she is averaging 25 tackles per game this season compared to 15 last year in the centres, and just doing extra work in the gym isn’t enough.
“I literally have to eat as much as I possibly can,” Strange said. “I am doing the same training as I was, but I have had to increase my protein intake and carbohydrates.
“I have always done my gym work but a lot of people don’t realise how hard it is for some girls to put on weight; even more so than boys because we don’t have the same physical make up and hormones and things like that.
“I would say that eating enough is actually harder than all of the training that we do.”
In fact, the more Strange trains the more she needs to eat.
No food is off limits, including KFC and McDonalds, but the 24-year-old has no interest in becoming a study case for the next series of Super Size Me.
“If I am on the go, I will get KFC or Maccas, or something like that, just to get extra calories,” Strange said.
“People think you’re lucky because you can eat what you want but it is mentally taxing having to eat often, and a lot.
I’m not hungry but I have to eat. It’s difficult because it is always on my mind.
“It is not one of my favourite things about playing footy because it is actually always on my mind, and it is hard.”
Jasmin Strange is aiming for her third successive premiership but in a different postion this season after shifting to the secondrow .
©NRL Photos
With the Roosters boasting superstar centres Isabelle Kelly and Jess Sergis, a positional shift seemed logical for Strange – particularly after being forced onto the bench for last year’s grand final.
However, it’s a move that Strange has been considering for some time and one that she believes will become more common as the NRLW continues to evolve.
“I think we are going to see a shift to more athletic and fit middles and secondrowers, especially if games go from 70 minutes to 80 minutes,” Strange said.
Father and daughter John and Jasmin Strange are aiming to win a second premiership together with Sydney Roosters.
©Gregg Porteous/NRL Photos
“I think the attributes I have as a footy player translate really well to the backrow, so it was just a matter of putting weight on to physically keep up with the demands of playing in the backrow.
“I like the physicality and the decision making, being able to lock up my whole edge defensively because you are in charge of pressuring the half and making sure that you get to the right person defensively.”
After winning premiership rings with the Knights in 2023 and Roosters last season, under the coaching of her father John, Strange is hoping to celebrate a personal three-peat on Sunday against the Broncos.
However, win or lose, there will be little respite for Strange.
“In the off-season I have to try and bulk up even more so that I come into pre-season heavier than I need to be knowing that I’m not going to maintain it because some of it is going to drop off with the training,” she said
“As a female athlete, with how much we train, we actually have to eat so much more food than people realise – and that even I realised. I thought I was eating enough but I wasn’t.”