Melbourne teammates are convinced that Nelson Asofa-Solomona enjoys stirring up opposition sides and fans but he is certainly no thug.
Asofa-Solomona has attracted plenty of attention in the past fortnight alone because of his running battle with Sydney Roosters enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, a couple of dubious tackles on Joseph Suaalii, then the booing by Parramatta fans.
As Asofa-Solomona prepares to help Melbourne keep their title hopes alive at AAMI Park against Canberra on Saturday afternoon, people are starting to wonder if he has become one of the most despised players in the game.
He is certainly one of the few, along with Waerea-Haregreaves and Gold Coast skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, who put genuine fear into opposition packs.
The towering Asofa-Solomona could only laugh when asked if he was a grub this week and told the Herald: “I think the media paint that picture of me as a villain.
“I can’t control how people react when I play, I can’t control what people say about me, all I can control is how I play.
“I’m only focused on helping my team go deep into the finals.
“I think if you got to know me off the field you’d think I was schizophrenic because I’m such a different person to what I display on the park.
Fear Factor: Melbourne Storm forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona.Credit:Getty
“In saying that, when I am on the field, I pride myself on having that physical presence and playing hard and running hard. I’m a middle forward, that’s my job.
Asofa-Solomona likes to think he has worked out how aggressive he can be without crossing the line, even though “the public and match review committee can often think otherwise”.
“I don’t want to put my team in the position where we’re losing players to ‘yellow cards’, but I know how to control my anger. We won’t be pushed around as a team and back each other up if something happens; you do need that controlled aggression,” he said.
Heavyweight battle: Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves faces off with Melbourne’s Nelson Asofa-Solomona.Credit:NRL Photos
Asofa-Solomona shook hands with Waerea-Hargreaves a fortnight ago after full-time and had family members contacting him to say how much they enjoyed the high-octane spectacle. Storm officials did, however, speak to Asofa-Solomona about a couple of incidents where he nearly collected Suaalii’s face with his elbow.
Despite coming into the year on a shortened pre-season because of his vaccination views, Asofa-Solomona has punched out big and effective minutes in the middle. It has now got to the point that some of his Storm teammates are pushing for a shortened summer campaign based on Asofa-Solomona’s results.
Jesse Bromwich, who is bound for Redcliffe next year said the New Zealand heavyweight was one of the gentlest men he had met.
“I love the aggression he brings on the field, but he’s quite the opposite off the field,” Bromwich said.
“For a guy who is so big, he’s quite gentle around the boys. He’s like a little kid sometimes.
“This year he has been really good. He’s believing in himself. He’s still quite young for a front-rower, but he’s becoming a real leader of our team.
“I think he enjoys ripping into other teams and causing a stir. He’s gone to another level this year.”
Stream the NRL finals series live and free on 9Now.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
