He may well be the biggest man to have ever played in the NRL, and Neslon Asofa- Solomona may have swung himself into contention for the biggest prize in Australian sport, The Frownlow Medal.
The Melbourne Storm player was involved in a wild pub brawl in Bali while enjoying an end of season holiday with teammates. Video footage shows Big Nelson throwing wild punches as the brawl spills out into the street.
The Frownlow Medal is awarded to the player whose off-field demeanour epitomises the values of the modern-day footballer and draws attention to the status of footballers as role models to young Australians. It covers Australia’s four major football codes; the National Rugby League (NRL), Australian Football League (AFL), the A-League (Football) and Rugby Union’s Super Rugby competition. NRL player Shaun Kenny-Dowall won the inaugural medal in 2015 and code-swapper Karmichael Hunt was the most recent recipient.
Asofa-Solomona has been banned for three matches by the NRL Integrity Unit, and this may determine his fate in The Frownlow Medal. It also means he will miss the end of year Test Matches for New Zealand.
Ironically, the big fella was sin binned in the opening minutes of a finals match against the Roosters for what was essentially a light slap to the face of opposing prop Sio Siua Taukeiaho. It was a bit more than a light slap in Bali though.
One question that needs to be answered is just how drunk were the Australians who chose to pick a fight with Suliasi Vunivalu and his huge Storm teammates? Who takes on a crew of very, very big men, who failed to make the grand final and were not allowed to throw a single punch on field all year?
Big Nelson can now look forward to the awards night of The Frownlow Medal and The Frownlow Medal Hall of Fame, which may or may not be full of drunken Aussie bogans.
Image: NuNa
The Frownlow Medal 