Hull FC's John Asiata talks passion, emotion and togetherness ahead of Hull KR showdown

John Asiata chose to settle in the East Yorkshire market town after swapping Leigh Leopards for Hull FC at the end of last year and has quickly immersed himself in the community.

The 31-year-old finds himself caught in the middle of the rivalry at his local junior club but mercifully the Hull KR fans have been good to him, so far at least.

"I'm based in Beverley so I'm a little bit out of it but there's a strong Hull influence there," said Asiata ahead of today's Challenge Cup quarter-final derby.

"I take my kid to rugby training at Beverley Braves and half the team is FC and the other half is KR.

"The KR fans there are great, to be honest. They're just happy to see both teams doing really well.

"The passion for rugby league here is massive. No matter where you go, there are always people from FC and KR walking around.

"This week alone is going to be massive."

The mood at the community club will likely be different next week regardless of the outcome of the first cup derby between the rivals in 39 years.

The battle for local supremacy has rarely been more intense in the past four decades.

"There are going to be a lot of emotions after a big build-up," said Asiata.

"I'm very excited for the boys from Hull because I know how much it means to them to try and get this win.

"I'm trying to control my nerves and emotions."

Asiata is one of the players in the Hull camp who has been there and done it in the Challenge Cup – against Hull KR, no less.

The loose forward was Leigh's captain when the Leopards ended their long wait for cup success in 2023.

"They're very special (memories)," he said.

"You've got to cherish those moments when you play in a final because not many people get to play in them.

"I've been fortunate to play in a Challenge Cup final, which means a lot to everyone with the history it's got behind it, and I was fortunate to play in an NRL Grand Final as well.

"You've got to make sure you're on it from the beginning in big games. This week is no different. It's going to have that Grand Final feel around it because of the division between FC and KR.

"Those experiences are going to go a long way."

Eyebrows were raised when Asiata left the upwardly mobile Leopards for Hull, a club that were a long way from challenging at the time.

The early evidence suggests his decision will be vindicated.

"There was a great opportunity for me to come and help get a historic club back to where they were," said Asiata, who has helped the Black and Whites to six wins and a draw in eight games.

"When you talk about the technical aspects of rugby league like execution and discipline, we're probably way off in those areas at the moment.

"But what's kept us in games is the willingness of the boys to be mentally tough during tough periods of games and being able to fight our way back to put ourselves in the frame to win games. That's the most pleasing part.

"You see a lot of people say that if negative things happened to the Hull of last year it would have been a different story, which is a great image for us to create and to continue to push for.

"We want our fans to be confident and trust that if we're behind on the scoreboard, we can still get the job done. We've come from behind to win in most games this year.

"That comes down to the boys caring for one another. You can't teach those things. If you've got that, the rest will look after itself."

The new-look Airlie Birds will be pushed like never before this weekend against Super League's form team.

The leader who helped Leigh outlast the Robins on the big stage at Wembley, Asiata has some wise words for his Hull team-mates.

"To beat Hull KR, we're going to have to be at our best, there's no doubt about it," he said.

"They're a team that are very clinical and smart in the way that they play. They're very tough as well.

"We've got to be on it from the very beginning all the way to the end in order to compete with them.

"It's going to be a tough game, an emotional game. When emotions are involved, a lot of energy gets spent when you could have preserved it.

"This game is going to have a lot of that. Whoever controls those emotions the best will win the game."