The plaudits are flowing in for Daejarn's Asi's debut for the Warriors. Is he better than
Chanel Harris-Tavita?
Should he be retained at 6 when
Chanel Harris-Tavita returns and
Chanel Harris-Tavita sent to Centre?
Yes it is too soon to say definitively after one game but let's keep track of opinions as the games unfold and see what the views are?
Here is an article on him
Last week Daejarn Asi was unwanted at the Cowboys and struggling for game time, but after one game he's already done enough to be loved by Warriors fans.
www.stuff.co.nz
Daejarn Asi, a star is born for Warriors after incredible debut for club
It was a baptism of fire for Daejarn Asi for the Warriors against the Raiders on Saturday, but he didn’t let himself or anyone else down.
Shaun Johnson will get all the headlines for again kicking a match winning
golden point field goal in the 21-20 victory, but Asi had a performance to cap off what’s been an unbelievable week for him.
Asi has gone from being unwanted by the Cowboys and running around in the Queensland Cup, to someone who has just had a career and probably life changing 80 minutes.
To play your first NRL game of the year, for a club you’ve only been at for a few days was always going to be a hard ask.
That’s especially the case when you’re only 21 and have played just 10 NRL games over the previous two years.
But Asi got what every player wants, an opportunity and boy, did he take it.
The 21-year-old, who was born in Christchurch, grew up a Warriors fan, even though he moved to Australia at a young age and he did the jersey proud.
There were so many moments that stood out. He made a goal line tackle early in the game on Corey Harawira-Naera that saved a try and he was there to gather the ball after Nick Cotric dropped a pass from Jordan Rapana, which resulted in the Warriors’ first try.
For the Warriors’ next try Asi was sensational, earlier in the set he threw a good crisp pass out wide to stretch the Raiders defence, then when he had the ball again, chipped the ball over the green defensive line perfectly, with the ball sitting up for Viliame
Vailea.
It was Asi’s huge hit on Brad Schneider that lifted spirits early in the second half and he went on to throw the bullet pass to
Euan Aitken to put him in a hole for the next try and was integral in the comeback.
BRADLEY KANARIS/GETTY IMAGES
Daejarn Asi celebrates
Viliami Vailea’s try, after setting him up with a wonderful kick.
If the Warriors lost this game, it wouldn’t have been down to Asi. The other players around him needed to step up more than they did, because despite the two points, this was a far from flawless Warriors win.
It was a poor first half against a team nowhere near as good as the Storm were last week and against the top sides, this could have been another ugly thrashing.
But credit where it’s due, because the Warriors grabbed momentum in the second half and kept it all the way through to
Johnson’s field goal.
Asi played just as well as
Harris-Tavita has for most of this season.
Nathan Brown may have wanted him to keep things pretty simple. Even so, he offered more than just throwing passes one out and getting in the way when the Raiders were on attack. It was like he’d been with the team since preseason.
With
Kodi Nikorima expected to have recovered from Covid-19 by the time of next weekend’s game against the Sharks, Brown has a tricky decision to make over who he chooses to partner
Johnson in the halves. Asi or
Nikorima?
As for the future,
Ash Taylor is unlikely to ever play again,
Nikorima isn’t expected to be at the club next year and with
Harris-Tavita still not reaching an agreement with the club over a new contract, Asi may have already done enough for the Warriors to offer him a long-term deal.
