Warrington Wolves forward Sitaleki Akauola has embraced an extravagant new hairstyle, all for the sake of charity.
The Wolves powerhouse showed off a new, unique haircut on social media last week after being challenged by Wire team-mate Danny Walker.
Akauola had been tasked with completing the #HairWithCare challenge, an initiative set up to raise funds for Community Integrated Care, who played a key role in the launch of Learning Disability Super League last year.
Several players have got behind the initiative, including Castleford’s Peter Mata’utia, who now sports a pink rat-tail, and Hull KR’s Ben Crooks, who dyed his hair blue.
Akauola even revealed that some of his colleagues have adopted the same cut, including Toronto’s Bodene Thompson and Warrington team-mate Leilani Latu.
“I’m trying to help within the community where I can,” he said.
“So when Danny Walker nominated me, it was a great way to help those on the front line.
“That’s why I enjoy my time at Warrington. They get amongst the community and being a part of it is a real eye-opener for me as a player, and it’s also really rewarding.
“I’m thinking of leaving it like this so when everyone asks it can be a reminder of how hard the NHS and everyone on the front line is working. I think I’ll definitely keep it until the end of the year as a way to raise awareness.”
Like many other players, the former Penrith man is missing life on the pitch.
“The feet are a bit itchy,” he admitted.
“It’s getting a bit difficult. It’s a good time for our bodies, but I hope everyone comes back stronger than when they went into this pandemic, although it’s probably a break all the players needed for their bodies to recover.”
