St Helens winger Waqa Blake says he is ‘loving’ his time with Paul Wellens’ side and would be very much open to extending his stay with the club.
The Fiji international arrived at the Totally Wicked Stadium a one-year contract back in January, scoring seven tries in 12 appearances in the Red V so far.
It was a mixed start to life in Super League for Blake, who admittedly, was behind the 8-ball initially having only put pen to paper at the back end of pre-season, with the season starting less than a month after he landed in England.
But as the season has progressed, Blake has started to find his feet after losing a bit of weight, getting fitter and regaining match sharpness, scoring six tries in his last six games whilst making a positive impact on Wellens’ side with his strong carries out of backfield.
“I think the track is drying up a bit for me,” Blake told Love Rugby League when asked about his recent upturn in form. “I got here, had to trim down a bit, I came here a bit out of shape but the staff here have been really good, they’ve helped me out and put their faith in me so that’s just me repaying their faith in me: just working hard.
Being on the wing means that my job is quite simple: I just need to run hard, carry hard, and get us out of the backfield.
“The boys I play with are the reason I’m enjoying my stay here so much. They’ve supported me, so I don’t think it’s just me; they make me smile. We will take that as a good win coming into the break against the Catalans, as I’m glad to see everyone else enjoying their football as much as I am. We have to lock that in as soon as possible (before we return home) since we have four games left.
Blake’s contract with the Saints is set to expire at the conclusion of the current season, as he signed a one-year agreement with them at the beginning of the year.
The 29-year-old acknowledged that, at the moment, he is not very concerned with his future and is just focused on giving St Helens his best rugby; nevertheless, he is very much open to the idea of playing in the Red V after this season.
When asked about his future, Blake told Love Rugby League, “I’m just rolling with the punches at the moment.”
“If I have to worry about what’s ahead… The ability to play quality football is a prerequisite; everything else follows. I’m having fun, playing well, and the boys are supporting me, so whatever happens, I would love to stay here because this club has been great to me and they have a lot of faith in me. If I’m not playing well and all that, then obviously I’m going to be on the back foot.
Before moving to the Super League, Blake played nine seasons in the NRL for the Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels, where he scored 62 tries in 165 games.
Blake, a supporter of Manchester City, says he is content with his life in England, despite the Fijian flyer’s possible desire to play in the NRL again in the future.
Blake chuckled, “I wasn’t enjoying the weather when I first came here; it was really cold, but now it’s warming up.” It’s true what they say about England summers—it might only be eighteen degrees, but that’s still a fairly warm temperature. In Australia, eighteen degrees would be nothing, but here, you can feel the heat.
“This is a lovely country, and I’m loving my time here. I haven’t been to London yet, but Liverpool is the closest city, so I went there first. I also went to Manchester, and I’ve even been as far as Leeds, and that’s a good place too.
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