Canberra Raiders prop Shannon Boyd will use his World Cup omission as extra motivation to shed extra kilograms and endurance to his power game next year.
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The Raiders big man is hoping to become a lean machine after an extended pre-season as he eyes more quality minutes on the field in 2018.
Boyd and Junior Paulo form one of the most feared front-row combinations in the NRL when they're at the peak of their powers.
But Boyd said he was too heavy last season to have a sustained impact, adamant he can get back to the sort of form that catapulted him into the Australian team last year.
Boyd was part of Australia's end of year Four Nations tour last year, but time with the Kangaroos meant he returned to the Raiders at 130 kilograms.
He missed the bulk of pre-season training and he struggled to drop weight once the season started.
But his World Cup snub is a blessing in disguise for the front-rower, who is targeting a playing weight of 122-124 kilograms next season. He is already at 127 kilograms.
"Missing half of the pre-season last year came back to get me a little bit, so I think it's going to help make it a bit easier through [next year]," Boyd said.
"I was about 130 kilograms at the start of this year. I got down to close to the weight I wanted to be at, but I wasn't quite there. It made it hard at the back end of the season.
"I just think you'll get more out of your stint if you're not carrying that extra weight around. You can do more attack wise and in defence, it will make my football better again."
The Raiders are still working to sign a hooker for next season as a replacement for the injured Josh Hodgson, who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in the World Cup.
Kurt Baptiste is set to move to the English Super League as early as this week, while the Raiders have been linked to Siliva Havili and Micky McIlorum as potential recruits.
Boyd is keen to step up as a leader, but his life will be flipped on its head in January when he becomes a father for the first time.
The 25-year-old has already played 90 NRL games and has played four Tests for Australia.
Niggling injuries limited his impact last year, but he's keen to force his way back to the top of the props and help the Raiders revive their premiership hopes.
Australia coach Mal Meninga left Boyd out of his World Cup squad, and the Raiders front-rower conceded it was the right decision.
"It did [hurt to miss selection], but at the same time I don't think I played good enough to get picked," Boyd said.
"I was expecting [to not get picked], so I'm just doing this pre-season now to get back into shape and rip in this year, see how we go.
"I always try to talk a fair bit around training. Hodgo is a big loss, but I'm sure all the boys will step up and take care of that."
Hodgson's absence and the departure of David Taylor will open the door for Luke Bateman to try to cement his place in Canberra's starting side.
"You can't replace Hodgo, but whoever else fills in his spot, we have to adapt," Bateman said.
"The goal of mine is the No. 13 run-on lock, that's my main goal for 2018. Hopefully a good pre-season puts me in good stead to chase that."
