'Feel great': Conversation that triggered Bulldogs gun Josh Curran's 13kg weight loss transformation

In the "fittest" shape of his career, Josh Curran has revealed how a simple pre-season conversation with coach Cameron Ciraldo helped improve his performance.

Curran had a rocky run at the start of his first-grade career having battled to find regular minutes behind an experienced forward pack at the Roosters in 2019.

But it was the opportunity to become a vital player at the Bulldogs that Curran admits shifted his mindset to be more "serious" in bid to better himself physically.

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The pre-season camp is among the toughest challenges they face when joining a team, but for the Dogs forward it was a key step on his journey to become an 80 minute player.

Since joining the club ahead of the 2024 season, the 25-year-old has undergone a significant transformation, dropping almost 13 kilograms thanks to his hard work in two pre-seasons.

Curran said he was encouraged by Ciraldo to trim down ahead of last season to become a more effective member of the pack.

"My first pre-season with the Dogs I lost six kilos then this pre-season I lost another six," he told Wide World of Sports' Freddy and the Eighth.

"Pre-season I get in [to training] about 7 o'clock and I probably won't get home until 5:30 or 6pm some days.

"I feel like the group that we have and the coaches that we have - we always go into training working hard and it pays off.

"I'm 13 kilos down. I was probably at 105 [kilograms when he was playing for the Roosters]... It's pretty embarrassing.

"Going to the Dogs last year, Cirro (Cameron Ciraldo) sat me down and said the pre-season will help me. And to be fair, it is probably the fittest and best I've felt in my whole career."

The star forward, who was integral in the Bulldogs finals run last season, admitted that in his youth he felt he was selected for representative teams due to his natural talent rather than his work ethic.

But to go to the next level in his NRL career, he felt he had to work harder, setting a goal to shed some weight to help him achieve that.

"I had a rough start to my career but it was a journey I am grateful for," he said.

"Through my young age I was a gifted (more) on my talent instead of hard work.

"Don't get me wrong, I used to always work hard but I got picked off talent. I've been raised to play many positions.

"(But) when I was a young kid I always thought if you trained hard you could go eat junk food and obviously that is not the way.

"Last year was the year that I really dived into (healthy habits). As I've grown older I'm starting to pick up on (those behaviours) more.

"Training is a big part of (why) but the diet [was the biggest change]. I am eating healthy, going to whole foods, eating steaks... It does make a big impact.

"I'm playing 80 minutes (and) I now feel like I can go harder for longer. I also feel stronger on the field. I'm feeling good at the moment."

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Curran revealed he draws inspiration from the successful career of Roosters great Boyd Cordner, who he got the opportunity to play alongside in his debut season.

"The whole reason I went to the Roosters was because I idolised Boyd Cordner," said Curran.

"Everything he did on the field whether it was attacking or defending, I've always wanted to play around him. I feel like he always played with his heart on his sleeve (which) is something I want to put in my game.

"Every time I take the field I try to leave everything out there."

Curran will return to action with the Bulldogs on Saturday when they face the Sharks.