\u201cI\u2019m looking for something that gets me up in the morning and that\u2019s one of them,\u201d said Asofa-Solomona.<\/p>\n
Nelson Asofa-Solomona celebrates a try for the Kiwis. Photosport. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
In a chat after the Kiwis clash with Tonga at Eden Park last Sunday \u2013 Asofa-Solomona was scratched with a calf injury, which has also ruled him out of Sunday\u2019s Pacific Championships final against Samoa \u2013 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,<\/a> after more than a decade in Melbourne. <\/p>\n \u201cI just need a bit of time off,\u201d said Asofa-Solomona. \u201c[It\u2019s 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\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Missing the last two grand finals (through suspension) and then watching the Storm lose both deciders had taken a toll and he needed \u201ca change of scenery\u201d. 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. <\/p>\n \u201cLook, I\u2019m not going to say no,\u201d said Asofa-Solomona, when asked about west Sydney club. \u201cI\u2019ve got a great relationship [with Ryles] as a coach and as a mate too. I think that\u2019s what every player yearns for.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, rugby is still in the picture, especially the rebel R360 league<\/a>, with his Kiwis teammates making constant jokes about it as they walked past him down the corridor. <\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve approached me but there\u2019s just so many boxes left to tick to even consider it,\u201d said Asofa-Solomona of the Saudi-backed project. \u201cIt sounds cool, a lot of money there and it\u2019s something new and exciting. It\u2019d be cool to travel the world as well but there\u2019s so much stuff that needs to be sorted to go ahead. There\u2019s nowhere to sign at the moment but everything\u2019s an option.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, with New Zealand Rugby pursuing him at least twice in the past. <\/p>\n \u201cSuper 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,\u201d said Asofa-Solomona. <\/p>\n However, he ruled out a rugby career in Europe or Japan. <\/p>\n \u201cSometimes that fire is there, sometimes you\u2019ve got to chase it,\u201d said Asofa-Solomona. \u201cBut I don\u2019t feel like France or Japan would give me that fire at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n A deep thinker, Asofa-Solomona also revealed that taking time out from being a professional athlete had crossed his mind. <\/p>\n \u201cNothing is off the table,\u201d he said. \u201cI was even looking at having a full year off and just focusing on my mental health. We\u2019re living in a different age of phones and everything, it\u2019s really frying everyone\u2019s [brains] and dopamine receptors\u2026 so just to get away.\u201d<\/p>\n Whatever happens, Asofa-Solomona\u2019s legacy in league is assured<\/a> 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. <\/p>\n He was a punishing ball carrier \u2013 especially close to the line \u2013 and has remained fiercely committed to the Kiwis\u2019 cause since 2017, at a time when other players with mixed heritage chose to leave and represent a Pacific nation. <\/p>\n Michael Burgess<\/a> has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America\u2019s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI\u2019m looking for something that gets me up in the morning and that\u2019s one of them,\u201d said Asofa-Solomona.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":269273,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[45230,1622,123663,703,8350,49,48,123666,123664,10213,123662,1852,30816,14241,4628,9919,123665,82,1390,14055,74228,17838,22470,16860],"class_list":["post-269272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-45230","tag-about","tag-asofasolomona","tag-boxing","tag-but","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-certain","tag-confirms","tag-future","tag-nelson","tag-nrl","tag-only","tag-options","tag-plans","tag-rugby","tag-seems","tag-sports","tag-talk","tag-that","tag-there","tag-thing","tag-weighs","tag-when"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}