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Melbourne skipper Jesse Bromwich has revealed he's tried to talk to his NRL teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona about his vaccination stance but can't reach him.
Nelson Asofa-Solomona's future with Melbourne looks increasingly bleak with the giant prop cutting contact with Storm skipper Jesse Bromwich.
Asofa-Solomona is the sole Melbourne NRL player refusing a COVID vaccination, meaning he was unable to return to pre-season training with the rest of the senior players this week.
Under Victorian government health orders professional athletes must be double-vaxxed to access venues such as the Storm's home ground AAMI Park.
While the Kiwi giant is doing a club-issued home-based gym program, hopes are fading he will get double-jabbed and be fit in time to play round one in early March.
His club captain and Test teammate Bromwich said he had tried to talk to Asofa-Solomona, who has been one of their most damaging forwards.
"I'm very hopeful that 'NAS' will come back, he's a powerful man and a big part of our team," Bromwich said on Friday.
"A lot of us boys care deeply for him and I've tried to reach out to him but I didn't get anything back.
"I know he's got his beliefs around vaccination and it's up to him but we really want him to come back so hopefully the matter resolves itself soon.
"I just don't like this awkwardness between us - I'm very close with him so hopefully we can get it sorted soon."
After Dale Finucane shifted to Cronulla and with Tui Kamikamika in legal trouble, losing another forward by cutting Asofa-Solomona would be a last resort for the Storm.
Canterbury this week parted ways with forward John Asiata, tearing up the 28-year-old's contract after he also refused to be vaccinated.
Asiata signed with the Bulldogs for the 2022 season after a stint with the Brisbane Broncos, but was handed a termination notice last month with the club requiring all players to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The NRL does not have a mandate in place for players to be fully vaccinated unlike the AFL, but Canterbury were firm in their stance.
The NRL estimated last month around 20-24 players were yet to be vaccinated.
