GAME ON Why Asiata’s so comfortable in leadership role
LEADERSHIP is not something John Asiata has felt he needed to grow into.
It is how he was brought up, part of who he is, and encompasses how he will take to the field on Friday night.
Showing off the bleachedblond hairstyle, adamant he would look to get rid of it prior to kick-off, Asiata described the experience away from the game as crazy.
To be in a position where the players had no idea when they would next get to play, to now be taking on the Gold Coast Titans before June, was not a situation he envisioned when the coronavirus reared its head.
Throughout that time, Asiata has been one of the many leaders in the squad, even representing the club as part of the Player Advisory Group during pay negotiations and player rights discussions during the game’s hiatus.
He said he had not changed too much about the way he carried himself around the playing group – because it was in his nature to want to help guide others.
“This is who I am as a person – helping people, that’s how I grew up,” Asiata said. “If I didn’t have that leader (tag) next to my name, I think I’d still be looked at the same because of the person I am and the culture I’ve been around at the club and around family.
“It’s always been in me to be that type of person to make sure everyone else is all good, to help them and set a good example for the younger ones coming through.”
For the 27-year-old forward, it did not feel like they were really going to get back to playing until they walked through the doors of Cowboys HQ for the first time since the NRL’S postponement.
From that moment he was impressed – no player had returned in a lesser physical state than when they last met for training. They were entrusted by the coaching staff to keep at it, Asiata said, and the squad responded in kind.
The culmination of their efforts will be seen on Friday when the Titans make their way to Townsville.
Even with the hometown advantage, game day will take a very different shape for the Cowboys given the way COVID-19 has changed the way in which everyday life operates.
But Asiata’s pre-game routine will not change too much.
His methods of relaxing prior to heading to the stadium come from spending time with his children – a feat they “sometimes” accomplish.
The Cowboys got a taste for what playing in front of no crowds was like when they defeated the Canterbury-bankstown Bulldogs in round two.
While it will certainly take some adjusting when they take to Queensland Country Bank Stadium for just the second time – this time without spectators – Asiata said once the contest got under way that would all be forgotten.
“It’ll be a little bit different,” he said.
“Rocking up to round one we had a full house and now it’s going to be empty.
“But in that Bulldogs game it was only the beginning where you realise there’s no crowds here.
“As the game goes on and you get into the emotion of it you block everything out and think about your job.
“You don’t realise it you come off the field.”
Faced with a Gold Coast outfit eager to get the first competition points of the 2020 campaign, Asiata said that his team would be prepared for a fight.
Given the amount of time they have spent off the field, he knows he and the other 33 players to line up will be putting their best foot forward.
The game will kick off 6pm in Townsville. until at