John Asiata: Leigh have reignited my love for rugby league again

NRL Premiership winner John Asiata says he will be forever grateful to Leigh for helping him fall in love with rugby league again.

This time six months ago Asiata was unsure whether he would play a professional game of rugby league again. He didn’t want to have the Covid vaccine which was mandatory for all NRL players at the time, and he was without a contract.

But promotion-chasing Championship club Leigh offered Asiata and his family a new lease of life in Northern England ahead of this season.

At Christmas, Asiata doubted he would play again. Now, he couldn’t imagine his life without the game he loves, and that’s partly down to the way Leigh have taken him in.

“I sort of wasn’t in the mindset of playing the game again because of what happened with my situation,” Asiata told Love Rugby League.

“A lot happened that year with my neck injury and then obviously the vaccination thing happened as well. I lost the love for the game because it felt like I had no-one on my side but then I got given this opportunity.

“I wanted to come to find that love for the game again and I didn’t want to rush into anything. Leigh was a good place to come with Lammy (Adrian Lam) being the coach and knowing a few players here already. I came with the expectation of just having fun playing footy and just enjoying the game again and that’s what I’m doing at the moment.

“I’ve just got to a point where I have found my love for the game again. I think it is all down to just seeing my family enjoy life. There is no pressure, everyone is pretty calm and just having fun.

“We are a whole new team which is another positive. Having a new team is like having a clean slate, we can build our foundations from the start and that has been the positive for