Kiwi-NRL Spotlight: Daejarn Asi Returns to Mt Smart
Daejarn Asi returned to Mt Smart with Parramatta Eels to defeat New Zealand Warriors in an all-Aotearoa halves combination alongside Northland's Dylan Brown. Asi played two games at Mt Smart while with Warriors in 2022 and in one of those outings, the Aranui junior from Christchurch traded booming left-footed kicks with Matt Burton as Warriors defeated Bulldogs.
A couple years later and Asi led the Eels' kicking mahi vs Warriors with 14 kicks for 540m, while Brown and Clint Gutherson had three kicks each. This was a significant performance for Asi as Eels have endured plenty of dramas in 2024 and he is coming off contract at the end of the season with all sorts of uncertainty lingering in the Eels roster.
Asi also scored a try and had 11 runs - 89m @ 8m/run with 29 tackles @ 85.2% efficiency. This was Asi's third game in a row starting at halfback and he has also started four games at five-eighth as well as two games at centre. While playing whatever position is required of him, Asi has churned out his best tackling season with 88.3% efficiency and that's only a smidge worse than Brown's 88.9% tackling this season.
After averaging 100+ kicking metres per game in three of his first four seasons, Asi is now averaging 200.4 kicking metres in 2024. Asi played 10 games last season and he is on nine games so far this season so he is on track to hit 10 games for the second season in a row, with his 19 games for Eels the most he has played for a team since his debut with Cowboys in 2020.
Asi has played 11 games of NSW Cup this season where he has also done whatever Eels need him to do with two games at fullback, nine games at five-eighth and two games at halfback. Here is how Asi's two years with Eels in NSW Cup look...
2023
13 games, 5 tries, 9 try assists, 2 linebreaks, 102m/game, 83.2% tackling, 112.4 kick metres/game, 9 forced droppies
2024
11 games, 5 tries, 6 try assists, 6 linebreaks, 81m/game, 86.7% tackling, 162 kick metres/game, 8 forced droppies
The only backline position Asi hasn't played for Eels this season across NRL and NSW Cup is wing. The pesky thing for Asi is how most of his five seasons in the NRL have featured niggly situations. Asi lost 10 games across two seasons with Cowboys as they slumped, then his season with Warriors was their last year based in Australia before he joined Eels for 2023. Last year was decent with Eels but that's the only positive vibe Asi has enjoyed as Eels descended into dramas this year.
There could be a role for Asi to play behind Mitchell Moses and Dylan Brown at Eels under new coach Jason Ryles. Asi is still just 23-years-old and he has quietly gathered experience in difficult spots, which other NRL teams should find useful if Asi isn't part of the Eels future. Many NRL teams could benefit from Asi's strong left-footed kicking game and he has developed his halves skillset of running/tackling/organising with Eels, so it will an intriguing phase in the shop window for Asi over the last few rounds this season.
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