Melbourne giant Nelson Asofa-Solomona has reaffirmed his commitment to the Storm, saying he wants to make it up to his teammates after letting them down last season.
Asofa-Solomona played his first NRL game of the season in Thursday night’s win over the Roosters after spending two weeks with North Sydney in reserve grade.
The 28-year-old has been dogged by rumors of a possible Storm exit amid a difficult pre-season marked by repeated injuries, but Asofa-Solomona says he is willing to remain in Melbourne until the end of his current contract in 2027.
“I’m committed to the Storm. I signed for four years and I want to fulfill my contract,” Asofa-Solomona said.
“For rumors to be spread like that, for my name to be thrown into the mud like that, is wrong. People close to me knew the truth.
“That’s what gets the clicks. My loved ones know the truth. For me, I only control what I can control and I can’t control what people say on the outside.
“All I can do is play well and let my football speak for itself.”
Asofa-Solomona played 32 minutes in the win over the Tricolores, but his playing time is expected to increase as he regains form.
“I came back on Tuesday, did it again at the end of the session. I missed the two weeks (of a pre-season camp) in Geelong and then did it again.
“So I did it three times, but it is what it is, it’s part of the game, you just have to come back and try hard.
“It was nice to be able to play a couple of games against the Bears, it really made me grateful for the opportunities I have at the Storm.”
Asofa-Solomona aims to be a different player in 2024 – he admits he let the Storm down last year by allowing his aggression to get the better of him at crucial points.
Craig Bellamy said defense was the New Zealand international’s main focus against the Roosters and Asofa-Solomona wants to live up to the Storm coaches’ high expectations of both his team and Asofa-Solomona himself.
“I talked to Craig and he wants to maintain those high standards this year. We had a deep conversation, one on one. He wants those high standards and I have to respect that and do what they tell me because he is the one who chooses the team,” he said Asofa-Solomona.
“Sometimes you can take things for granted. Coming back to the Bears made me grateful for what I had here.
“I had a good conversation with the coaches and it’s about applying that energy in the right places. I felt like last year I let my team down by being aggressive, overly aggressive and making silly errors in judgment, trying to get into fights.
“It’s not part of my game anymore, I’m trying to erase it and do what’s right for the team. I’m a lover, not a fighter, but when we cross that white line it’s business.”