The decision to walk away from an Australian 7s contract to focus on the XVs game looked to have paid off when Paul Asquith picked up a Melbourne Rebels contract late last year. But unfortunately for the 23-year old, things didn’t quite go to plan. Asquith started just one match at fullback for the Rebels in 2016 and is now back in Sydney preparing to captain the Western Sydney Rams in this year’s National Rugby Championship. “Yeah it was frustrating but I think I took a lot out of being involved in the Rebels environment. I learnt a lot and hopefully I can take that back to the Rams and have a big season,” Asquith said. “It was disappointing not to get much game time but I was really happy with how I trained and how I performed when I did get a chance. Obviously, I would have preferred if it came a bit earlier, but there is a lot of depth at the Rebels.” Asquith is one of 11 Southern Districts players in the Rams squad, that also features Waratahs Hugh Roach and Senio