Daejarn Asi

Daejarn Asi (born 15 August 2000) is a Samoa international rugby league footballer who plays as a or for the Castleford Tigers in the Super League.

He has previously played for North Queensland Cowboys, New Zealand Warriors and Parramatta Eels in the NRL. He has also played for New Zealand Māori at representative level.

Background Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, Asi is of Samoan (Solosolo and Afega), Māori (Ngāi Tahu and Tuhoe) and English descent. He played his junior rugby league for the Aranui Eagles before moving to Australia.

In Australia, he played his junior rugby league for the Nerang Roosters and Ormeau Shearers. Asi attended Keebra Park State High School and later Brisbane Grammar School before being signed by the North Queensland Cowboys.

Playing career Early career In 2016, Asi played for Gold Coast Green in the Cyril Connell Cup. In 2018, he played for the Norths Devils in the Mal Meninga Cup.

In 2019, Asi moved to Townsville, where he played for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Hastings Deering Colts. Later that season, he made his debut for the Blackhawks' Queensland Cup side.

2020 In January, Asi was a member of the Queensland under-20 Emerging Origin squad. In February, he re-signed with the Cowboys on a three-year deal.

In Round 10 of the 2020 NRL season, Asi made his NRL debut, starting at and scoring a try against the Penrith Panthers. Asi played five games in his rookie season, missing time due to minor knee injuries.

2021 On 20 February, Asi represented the Māori All Stars, coming off the bench in their 10-all draw with the Indigenous All Stars.

Asi began the 2021 season playing for the Blackhawks before making a mid-season switch to the Mackay Cutters. He returned to first grade in Round 17, starting at fullback in a loss to the 46–18 loss to the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

He played five games for the Cowboys in 2021, starting three at centre.

2022 In 2022, Asi joined the New Zealand Warriors. He played his first game for the Warriors in round 8 of the 2022 NRL season. Asi made a total of eight appearances for the New Zealand club as they finished 15th on the table. On 6 September, he was released by the New Zealand Warriors.

In November, Asi signed a contract to join Parramatta for the 2023 season.

2023 In round 15 of the 2023 NRL season, Asi made his club debut for Parramatta in their 32-12 victory over arch-rivals Canterbury. He played a total of ten matches for Parramatta in the 2023 NRL season as the club finished 10th on the table.

2024 In round 6 of the 2024 NRL season, Asi was called into the Parramatta team for their match against North Queensland. He scored his first try for the Eels and kicked a field goal in the clubs 27–20 victory. Asi made a total of 14 appearances for the club filling in for the injured Mitchell Moses as they finished 15th on the table. On 11 September, it was announced that Asi would be departing the Parramatta club after not being offered a new contract.

In September, Asi was linked with a move to the Castleford Tigers in the Super League, who were looking to replace departing halfback Jacob Miller. On 30 October, Castleford announced Asi would join from 2025 on a two-year contract.

2025 Asi made 28 appearances for Castleford in the 2025 season as the club finished 11th on the table. and was named in the Super League team of the week. He scored a try in Castleford's comeback win against Leeds Rhinos in round 19, fending off four defenders to power over the line.

Career statistics Club

+ Appearances and points in all competitions by year Club Season Tier North Queensland Cowboys 2020 NRL 5 1 0 0 4 2021 NRL 5 0 0 0 0 Total 10 1 0 0 4 New Zealand Warriors 2022 NRL 8 2 0 0 8 Parramatta Eels 2023 NRL 10 0 0 0 0 2024 NRL 14 3 17 1 47 Total 24 3 17 1 47 Castleford Tigers 2025 Super League 28 6 3 0 30 2026 Super League 21 2 3 0 14 Total 49 8 6 0 44 Career total 91 14 23 1 103