Former Parramatta Eels winger Waqa Blake has opened up on his move overseas to the Super League, revealing that he wasn't done playing in the NRL.
Released by the Eels at the end of the 2023 season, the Fijian international has played over 150 games in the NRL, including a stint with the Penrith Panthers from 2015 to 2019.
With his future in peril and no other NRL teams looking to recruit his services, it was announced that Blake has joined St Helens RLFC in the English Super League on a one-year contract for the 2024 season.
Revealing he wasn't done in the NRL, a comeback to the competition may be on the cards for Blake, considering he has only agreed to a one-year contract with the Saints and is only 29 years old.
Blake has now opened up on his move to St Helens RLFC and is looking to get started with the club as they look to make their way back to the Super League Grand Final after failing to make it in 2023 after four consecutive premierships.
“I wasn't too keen to come over, to be honest, because I felt like I wasn't done in the NRL,” Blake said, per League Express.
“But when a great club like St Helens are reaching out to you, it was a no-brainer for me.
“I spoke to (Saints head coach) Paul Wellens and we had a good chat and within that one Zoom call we were both happy and I couldn't wait to get over here.”
A Perth native, Blake represented the Joondalup Giants and Perth Pirates in Western Australia before making the move to the Panthers at the start of 2012. Here, he would work his way through the club's junior grades before earning his debut in 2015.
Speaking on the move, the outside back exclaimed that he continued training after the conclusion of the 2023 season, despite not being signed by a club and wasn't expecting the conditions to be so different between Australia and England.
“I left Sydney, I was just wearing shorts and a shirt because it was a 40-degree day – I got into Manchester and it was minus-one!” said Blake.
“But the body is feeling good. As soon as I got off the plane they got me running, which was really good for the jet lag.
“My focus is playing really good, consistent footy and enjoying footy most of all.
“That's when everything will fall into place – I want to absorb it all, I've got a lot of good players around me.”