“I’m looking for something that gets me up in the morning and that’s one of them,” said Asofa-Solomona.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona celebrates a try for the Kiwis. Photosport.
Asofa-Solomona has always been a bit different and can be an engaging interview subject, much more cerebral than the given stereotypes about tough league forwards.
In a chat after the Kiwis clash with Tonga at Eden Park last Sunday – Asofa-Solomona was scratched with a calf injury, which has also ruled him out of Sunday’s Pacific Championships final against Samoa – he was forthcoming and refreshingly honest. He admitted he had fallen out of love with the NRL, which prompted him to seek a release from the last two years of his Storm contract, after more than a decade in Melbourne.
“I just need a bit of time off,” said Asofa-Solomona. “[It’s been] a crazy last couple of years, I just need to find a bit of joy back into my game. If I were to stay in rugby league, I would probably try to find a place where I can enjoy my football again. I’ve got a lot to give, I still believe my best years are in front of me. I just need to find a place that can unlock that.”
Missing the last two grand finals (through suspension) and then watching the Storm lose both deciders had taken a toll and he needed “a change of scenery”. That could be at Parramatta, with Asofa-Solomona admitting he has a lot of respect for Eels head coach and former Storm assistant Jason Ryles.
“Look, I’m not going to say no,” said Asofa-Solomona, when asked about west Sydney club. “I’ve got a great relationship [with Ryles] as a coach and as a mate too. I think that’s what every player yearns for.”
Of course, rugby is still in the picture, especially the rebel R360 league, with his Kiwis teammates making constant jokes about it as they walked past him down the corridor.
“They’ve approached me but there’s just so many boxes left to tick to even consider it,” said Asofa-Solomona of the Saudi-backed project. “It sounds cool, a lot of money there and it’s something new and exciting. It’d be cool to travel the world as well but there’s so much stuff that needs to be sorted to go ahead. There’s nowhere to sign at the moment but everything’s an option.”
Asofa-Solomona was a schoolboy star at Wellington College and has been heavily linked to a return to the 15-man code over the years, with New Zealand Rugby pursuing him at least twice in the past.
“Super Rugby has been a bit of an option, even though playing for the All Blacks would be such a long shot 1762578429 but you never say no,” said Asofa-Solomona.
However, he ruled out a rugby career in Europe or Japan.
“Sometimes that fire is there, sometimes you’ve got to chase it,” said Asofa-Solomona. “But I don’t feel like France or Japan would give me that fire at the moment.”
A deep thinker, Asofa-Solomona also revealed that taking time out from being a professional athlete had crossed his mind.
“Nothing is off the table,” he said. “I was even looking at having a full year off and just focusing on my mental health. We’re living in a different age of phones and everything, it’s really frying everyone’s [brains] and dopamine receptors… so just to get away.”
Whatever happens, Asofa-Solomona’s legacy in league is assured as a dominant presence for the Storm and the Kiwis over many years, even if the recent rule changes and increased pace of the game have been a challenge for the 130kg, 2m prop.
He was a punishing ball carrier – especially close to the line – and has remained fiercely committed to the Kiwis’ cause since 2017, at a time when other players with mixed heritage chose to leave and represent a Pacific nation.
Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.