Canterbury forward ready to QUIT rugby league after family’s reaction to vaccinations

New Canterbury Bulldogs signing John Asiata is ready to quit rugby league rather than get vaccinated.

The Bulldogs recruit – who only joined the club ahead of the 2022 NRL season – has taken a major stance against the Canterbury hierarchy after members of his family have had serious reactions to vaccinations previously.

Though that is Asiata’s stance, he does not want to cause trouble for the Bulldogs and will walk away from the game if a solution cannot be found.

Asiata joins Melbourne forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona in becoming the latest big-name NRL player to dither over the COVID-19 vaccine.

The 25-year-old is the only Storm player not to receive the jab and, though the club remains hopeful he will, they realise that Asofa-Solomona’s reluctance could have serious repercussions for the Kiwi’s career at Melbourne.

Athletes cannot use the AAMI Park facilities at present if they haven’t been double vaccinated, which means the New Zealand international will be locked out until either the health rules change or gets the vaccination.

Asofa-Solomona’s issue highlights just how inconsistent the rules across the NRL are, with a number of calls for the governing body to bring into practice a uniform guideline.