League: Kava may be secret remedy for Asotasi

Roy Asotasi

Ruben Wiki swears by it, now his Kiwis teammate Roy Asotasi is a converted kava fan as he eyes a rapid return from injury for the Bulldogs' National Rugby League (NRL) grand final bid.

Asotasi, who missed the Bulldogs' 30-12 playoff win over Canberra on Saturday with a knee injury, has declared himself a good chance to return ahead of schedule for their preliminary final against either Newcastle or Brisbane on September 22.

The reason? A programme of aquajogging and regular bowls of the Pacific Island drink with mysterious medicinal qualities.

"It doesn't taste good, but any benefits would help," Asotasi told The Australian newspaper today.

"One of my mates from reserve grade mixes it up for me. If Ruben swears by it, I swear by it as well."

There were initial fears Asotasi would be out for the NRL season and a doubtful starter for the Tri-Nations starting in October when he wrenched his knee and suffered ligament damage against Brisbane on August 18.

But he was confident after recent pool jogging sessions he would be a serious chance to play in just under a fortnight.

"I think I am (a good chance), and I think the medical staff do too.

"You can only pray and hope, but it's looking good at the moment."

The coming weeks are the 1.84m, 103kg prop's last chance to win a second NRL title with the Bulldogs, having signed to join fellow Kiwis Nigel Vagana and David Kidwell at Russell Crowe's South Sydney club next season.

- NZPA