The Hull FC vice captain has given a thorough update on his fitness and the year ahead.
Hull FC loose-forward John Asiata.(Image: SW PIX)
Hull FC loose-forward John Asiata has confirmed that he has had no setbacks with his hamstring this pre-season. However, he has put on record that he is taking a welcome break right now to prepare himself for the new season.
The 32-year-old underwent some significant hamstring surgery after tearing the muscle for a second time of the year back in August, with the player going under the knife and beginning his rehab straight away. That saw Asiata back in full training either side of Christmas, with the vice-captain getting the reps in alongside the rest of the first-team squad.
But such a process also saw Asiata go without a rest period, with the club now monitoring the player and determined not to see a reoccurrence of the injuries that saw him miss 13 of Hull’s 30 competitive games last year.
Nonetheless, Asiata, gearing up for his second year in the Black and White, is in a good place and is content with being smart as the club prepares for the long season ahead.
“I’m doing pretty good,” Asiata, speaking to Hull Live, said. “Mentally I’m in a good place and physically the body is getting there. I’ve still got a few more things to tick off before I get the green light, but other than that, I’m in a good place.
“There’s been no setback. It’s just fine-tuning and more to do with the fact that I didn’t take that break when I probably should have, so I’m taking that now. I’ve ticked a lot of boxes and I’ve done some stuff with the team that was good to get back into, but I felt like the body was fatiguing, and only because I didn’t take that break and time off.
“I’m just letting the body have that little rest and then hopefully I can come back and hit those targets that I need to hit to make sure I’m ready to go.”
Outlining his mindset, Asiata continued: “I don’t think I processed the injury and the operation (the first time) as well as I could have. I brushed it under the carpet just to say that I’m all good.
“The more you’re sat around, the harder it gets mentally, and I went into rehab straight away and I didn’t take any time off, but the one thing I’ve learnt from the past is not to push myself to be back. This time when I’m back, I don’t want to be back with any doubt or questions in my mind.
“I want to be back knowing that I am ready to go, whether that is round one, or round two, it all depends on if I tick those boxes off. At the moment, there’s no setbacks. I’m in a good place and so far, I don’t see a reason to not meet those targets.”
He added: “If I’m honest, it’s been tough, and it did hurt that I didn’t get to finish my first year at the Black and Whites and finish the season with the boys. I knew what we could have done. That part hurt, but I think I’m at a place now where I’ve accepted the injury, accepted my age, and accepted all of the things that have happened so far since I’ve been here, and now I’ve been able to move on, really, and focus on what’s ahead.
“I’m making sure that I get everything right to put my best foot forward for the team, do my part for the team, and help get the club back to where we need to be.
“My goal now is to be on the pitch as much as I can. That’s every player’s goal. Players don’t like standing on the sidelines and watching their team go to battle, especially when things get tough. You want to be in there with them, so for me, it’s making sure I can do that for my team and I can do my part in the team to make sure we can go better than what we did last year.
“We’ve got a tremendous group, and the bond within the squad is unreal. If I can get my part right, and make sure that I can contribute, then I’ll be really happy with this year. For me, that is the most important thing.”