Vegan giant has taste for Storm

Melbourne are set to lock down man mountain Nelson Asofa-Solomona with a long-term contract extension, and it’s a particularly special Craig Bellamy spray over a backfiring vegan diet that sums up exactly why the rugby union prodigy wants to stay at the Storm.

NRL.com understands the Storm are in the final stages of closing an upgraded deal for the 2m, 123kg Kiwis international, with what’s believed to be a three-year extension tabled and agreed to by Asofa-Solomona.

Already contracted until the end of next season, the new deal would keep one of the game’s most damaging forwards in purple until 2022 and is expected to be announced once Sunday’s grand final clash with the Roosters wraps up his season.

To hear both Storm officials and AsofaSolomona talk about his loyalty to the club in the face of serious All Blacks interest as a 17-yearold, rivals are pushing the proverbial uphill trying to lure him away from the joint.

And to hear his favourite Bellamy dressing down is something once more.

“I came back into pre-season a bit overweight after the World Cup,” Asofa-Solomona told NRL.com.

“I was trying a vegan diet but I didn’t do it right. I was trying all the sauces and trying to make that vegan food taste nice and I didn’t realise that the sauces are the bad stuff for you.

“After that break Craig brought me into the meeting room and there was a few people in there with us and he started going off his head.

“I was up to 127-128 kilos, I tend to play about 122-123, depending when I jump on the scales.

“Now I weigh in every morning, there’s a few of us that do it but I think I’m the main culprit. I sometimes get more nervous about that than games sometimes, Craig’s usually watching, he’s always around doing some form of fitness.

“You’d be worried if he wasn’t on your case, because you know that he wants the best from you. It’s all about how you take the criticism, I took that as a positive.”