John Asiata is confident he’s put the reps in to stay on the field this season.
Hull FC loose-forward John Asiata.(Image: SW PIX)
Hull FC vice-captain John Asista is confident he has built up the ‘reps’ throughout his rehab to remain durable this year. The loose forward spent a total of 26 weeks on the sidelines following the second tearing of his hamstring last August, with the player returning to action against York Knights at the end of last month.
Now three games into his comeback, Asiata is hoping the work done in the off-season will put him in good stead, with the player training through pre-season and building the reps in terms of fitness training and with the team in a bid to get his body as strong as possible for the year ahead.
Putting himself through the pain barrier, the 31-year-old survived a scare against Leigh in Saturday’s Challenge Cup defeat after going down awkwardly in a tackle, but he finished the game – a sign of the robustness his thorough rehab period has given him.
“I feel good,” Asiata said. “It’s been a long six months; it was 26 weeks. I’ve just had to bide my time a little bit, but it’s good now to be able to contribute and help the team from the field rather than screaming from the sideline. It’s just good to be back out there slowly building my minutes.”
Asiata tore his hamstring for a second time against Leigh last year, just one and a half games into his comeback. He was out for nearly three months, with over nine months of rehab done in total since tearing the muscle for the first time last May – also against the Leopards.
Outlining the lessons learned, Asiata said: “I put a lot of work in to make sure I was right to come back. It wasn’t because of my hamstring not being ready; testing-wise everything I needed to tick, I ticked those boxes. It was just one of those incidents; catching the ball down at my feet, I overstretched it, and those come with timing.
“I was pushing myself pretty hard to come back so getting reps in with the team, I didn’t get enough of the first time. I think that’s what we’ve done this time round; I’ve got more reps in and more running under my belt to try and get my timing right and better.
“As a player, you always want to be out there and rehab is a very lonely place. You try and do your best every day to turn up with the right attitude and give it everything you’ve got to come back and then to come back and get injured again two games in, it hurts a little bit.
“It was an injury I couldn’t rush, and that’s one of the things I’ve learned in my time being injured. It might feel right, but deep down, it might not be ready. You need a lot of reps to tick the boxes. That’s one of the things I didn’t get the first time.”