The brother of Super League ace ready to follow his NRL return route

If Asher O’Donnell has anything like the impact on Super League his brother did, Huddersfield Giants will have pulled off one of the best signings across the competition.

The back-rower has made the move to Super League with the Giants and in the process, followed in the footsteps of his brother, Kai, who had three tremendous seasons in the UK with Leigh before earning a return to the NRL.

There are many similarities between the pair. Like Kai, Asher has seen the opportunity to play regular first-grade rugby at a young age as an opportunity too good to turn down. He has arrived a year younger, coming at the age of 22.

Both are back-rowers, and on the evidence of his pre-season outings, the younger sibling certainly knows how to hit a line too.

And Asher wants to return to the NRL one day, too, he hopes his two years at the Giants will provide that pathway. If that happens, Huddersfield will have gained.

“He gave me the inside track and told me to essentially go through my apprenticeship and go with open arms,” he told Love Rugby League.

“He did everything the hard way, and I’d seen him do it. Hard work paid off for him; he was 23 when he came over at the time, and Leigh were in the second division. He’d had it tough through Covid and then just decided to back himself.

“It’s a big opportunity, that’s what it is. It’s the first time I’ve been a professional athlete, that’s exciting.”

He arrives in the UK after a strong year in the Queensland Cup, scoring nine tries in 18 appearances for Brisbane Tigers, his best year having made his Q Cup debut two years earlier.

“I was a late bloomer really,” he said. “But I just want to win, do my apprenticeship and see what happens at the end of it.

“That (returning to the NRL) is the goal but this is the goal now, have my head in these two years and worry about that after that.”

He added: “It’s professional here. Last year was a tough season but there’s a new S&C who has been absolutely unreal. The little details of the coaching staff and the time they take to make us all better has stood out.“