- He was forced to start the season in reserve grade.
- He arrived amid rumors that he was unfit and looking to leave the Storm.
- He returned against the Gallos and wants to let football speak
Storm giant Nelson Asofa-Solomona opened up for a turbulent few weeks when he was demoted to reserve grade, with rumors that he could be released from the final three years of his contract.
The Kiwis star, 28, is one of the most feared players in rugby league, but he made his season debut on Thursday night against the Roosters after a pair of NSW Cup matches.
Asofa-Solomona explained how he injured his hamstring three times in a “frustrating” pre-season which led to speculation he was not fit enough to meet the Storm’s high standards.
This prompted the 2-metre giant to post on Instagram to set the record straight about his fitness.
Football fans and analysts have doubts about Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s fitness after he began the season in reserve status.
‘For me, I only control what I can control. I can’t control what people say outside. All I can do is play well and let my football speak for itself,” he said after returning from the bench in the 18-12 win over the Roosters.
‘Unfortunately, nowadays, those kinds of things are sold. As long as the people who care about me and are in my circle know the truth, that’s all that matters.
“I got a lot of messages and I thought I was a little burned out because I worked a lot in the off-season.
‘The fact that later there were rumors that my name was thrown in the mud was wrong and I wanted to correct it. The people close to me knew the truth and told me not to worry, but I had to correct it.’
Asofa-Solomona had a great off-season representing New Zealand and dominating in the ring.
Team-mate Christian Welch has seen his fellow front rower work hard in training and has urged Asofa-Solomona’s critics to see him in action before commenting.
“It’s probably a symptom of being depressed in Melbourne,” Welch said.
‘We train on a public oval in the middle of the city so people can come down and watch and see the work he’s been doing and how he moves. If they did, I’m sure they would form a different opinion.
“Crisis stories have to get good ratings, but we’re happy with what he’s doing.”
Asofa-Solomona also hit out at the ‘clickbait’ that has linked him with an early release from the Storm, but stated he intended to see out his contract and was grateful after his brief spell with the North Sydney Bears.
The towering Melbourne Storm star has vowed to fulfill his contract at his NRL club.
“I talked to Craig and he just wants to keep those high standards this year,” he said.
“We had a very deep conversation… and I have to respect that and do what I’m told because he’s the one who chooses the team.”
“Sometimes you can take things for granted and coming back to the Bears made me grateful for the opportunity I have here.”
Those chats with Bellamy included a tough talk about his discipline, which at times crossed the line, with the man getting hooked early in the preliminary final loss to Penrith and earning a spray from his coach after the game.
“I had a good conversation with the coaches and it’s about applying energy in the right places for my team,” he said.
“I felt like I let my team down last year by being too aggressive and making silly errors in judgment when trying to get into fights.” “That’s no longer part of my game and I’m trying to erase it and do the right thing for the team.”