SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Nelson Asofa-Solomona of the Storm is sent to the sin-bin during the NRL Preliminary Final match between the Sydney Roosters and the Melbourne Storm at the Sydney Cricket Ground on September 28, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona is preparing for a decision to be made surrounding his playing future following a fist-fight in Bali last weekend, which was caught on camera.

The NRL Integrity Unit, Melbourne's board and Asofa-Solomona will all sit down to find out what went down that night, and capture the 23-year-old's recollection to describe his sequence of events.

Reports have emerged that Asofa-Solomona was only defending his Storm teammate Suliasi Vunivalu who had been assaulted in the time leading up to the filmed fight.

With the league integrity unit ready to conduct their own questioning, NRL CEO Todd Greenberg stated earlier this week that he expects a final report to be made by Friday evening.

With an announcement expected to follow at some stage next week, Greenberg did not show any sympathy for the Storm prop saying no sequence of events should allow for that reaction.

"Make good decisions, and if you're in a situation like that where there is trouble brewing, walk away," Greenberg said.

The league boss reiterated the message to all players across the league, urging them to consider their roles and responsibilities in a public setting.

"Take yourself out of that situation. And make very smart choices particularly late a night. That is my advice to players," he added.

"I think every single player who puts on an NRL jersey is acutely aware of their responsibility. We can't have a repeat of what we saw last year.

"Players will know if they make poor errors of judgement or poor decisions there is going to be significant consequences for those. And I think every player is acutely aware of that."

Asofa-Solomona missed out on a spot in New Zealand's team for the Downer World Cup 9s this weekend following the indiscretion, but has been selected for the Oceania Cup Tests in October and November against both Australia and Great Britain.

The ugly brawl came the exact same week Manly back-rower Joel Thompson posted on social media about the dangers of mixing alcohol and partying in the off-season, expressing the consequences that can arise following these issues. Thompson sent the warning out from his bed in hospital, following injury from "a real bad accident" as he described it.

Greenberg said he isn't overly concerned that the two incidents came so close together, despite the behavioural issues again damaging the game's image in the weeks following the NRL Finals series.

"Not at all (worried); we're well placed after what has been a phenomenal year for rugby league," he said.

"I've spoken at length about this through the year about expectation of players. I think players are acutely aware about their responsibilities. They know there will be consequences. I don't expect to be talking to you at all about player behaviour, I expect to be talking to you about rugby league."

6 COMMENTS

  1. So what “significant consequences” does the dope who started the whole thing have to face? Why don’t the media name and shame that fool? Todd reckons you get smashed and then just walk away. All thats going to do is encourage more dopes to harass players knowing the players hands are tied. Its like this no punching rule on the field. It encourages all the gutless punks to antagonise the big blokes knowing they can’t be whacked back. Greenberger needs to go.

  2. If that’s the precedent all that’s going to happen is every drunken tough guy on the street is going try start picking fights with players who think they’re gonna have their hands tied behind their back. At he end of the day they are young men who are enjoying the off season and should be allowed to spend it however they want… If these drunken idiots want to try start fights players should be entitled to self defense, period! Use some common sense!

  3. Walk away and get bottled in the back of the head???? Good one!!! I dont know any dudes in thier 20’s that hasnt had a pub fight, as long as thier not instigating or picking on little fulla’s then who cares. If some looser starts a fight with a big NRL player and gets smashed then good job.

  4. Good Job NAS, done what any good mate would’ve done. Greenberg wouldn’t understand never had a mate in his life.

  5. Can someone please explain to Greenburg that league is a game played by men (well, at least for now) and that men defend themselves when under attack. Give him a medal not a suspension. The other NZ players should pull out if he’s suspended. Watch Greenburg change his tune then.

  6. Hmmmm, interesting.
    When the news first broke there were numerous comments along the lines of “I bet he gets nothing”, and “if it was a player from my club”, etc. In a nutshell, “the NRL will show favouritism because he plays for the Storm”.
    Fast forward, and the media change their reporting of the incident, and maybe (maybe) because more facts have come to light, and now it’s “the NRL are (very) wrong again”.
    So what actually happened? Outside of the mass media reports, who actually knows?
    The way I saw it/still see it is If NAS was defending his mate/himself, without justifyable provocation, he shouldn’t get any punishment, but if they/he started a blue he should get suspended (and I’m not saying he still shouldn’t have defended his mate/himself from the outcome).
    Personally, I have a lot more faith in the NRL/their processes than I do in the media, especially commercial media outlets, but at the same time I’m also aware the NRL has a similar interest in trying to contain negative publicity as the (commercial) media does in trying to sell, sell anything that sells, so the truth/the facts probably lie somewhere in between.

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