In his first year with the Cowboys after joining from the Roosters, the 2013 NYC Team of the Year member showed why North Queensland were keen on recruiting him.
At season’s end, he was named the Cowboys’ Rookie of the Year.
After a settling in period with the Mackay Cutters, Asiata gained his first NRL jersey in round 12 against Melbourne – a 22-0 victory at 1300SMILES Stadium.
He held his bench spot until round 16 and then returned for the back-to-back victories against Cronulla and Canterbury.
It was against the Bulldogs that he produced arguably his best NRL game with 21 tackles going with 12 hit-ups for 109 metres in attack.
The Cutters enjoyed the benefits of his high work rate and back-row ball-playing talents in 18 matches (five tries).
WHAT’S IN STORE IN 2015:
Asiata is another of the Cowboys’ young forwards, including the likes of Ethan Lowe and Sam Hoare, who will be pushing for more NRL time next season.
There’s no doubt he’ll appreciate the advantages that come from tackling a second NRL pre-season training campaign and not having to worry about settling in at a new club.
