Joseph Suaalii leaves Roosters for Wallabies bid in big win for code
3 min read
Rugby Australia has got its man with Sydney Roosters sensation Joseph Suaalii signing a blockbuster deal from October 2024 until at least the end of 2027.
RA hopes the 19-year-old will star for the Wallabies against the British and Irish Lions in 2025 and at the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Suaalii, who was a schoolboys rugby standout, will also play for the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby Pacific.
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« Welcome back to rugby, Joseph, » RA chairman Hamish McLennan said.
The Roosters were first to confirm Suaalii’s NRL departure.
« Joseph has been transparent with the club and we respect his decision, » Roosters coach Trent Robinson said.
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« He has made his commitment to the Roosters club for the next year and a half crystal clear, and we’re excited about the path we’re on. »
Suaalii was also quoted in the Roosters release.
« The Sydney Roosters have been great to me and my family since I got here and the club is always going to be a big part of me, » Suaalii said.
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« There’s still a long way to go in my journey with the Roosters and my sole focus is on working hard every day to keep improving and performing my role for the team. »
Nine’s Danny Weidler reported that Suaalii would be « catapulted » straight into the Wallabies squad for their 2024 spring tour of the northern hemisphere and be a « headline act » for the Lions tour and World Cup.
« There must have been a lot of money on offer because it’s not often that Nick Politis will lose a player that he wants to keep, » Weidler said.
« There’s rumours that it could have been around $2 million a season to get him to cross codes. »
Former Wallaby Stephen Hoiles said the lure of playing sevens at the 2028 and 2032 Olympics was likely another major factor for Suaalii.
« He’s got the ability to jump between sevens and XVs, » Hoiles said on Stan Sport’s Rugby Heaven before the deal was confirmed.
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« He did a lot of sevens training only a couple of years ago while he was at The King’s School. He was actually a year 11 boy training with the Aussie sevens and at that time, he was good enough to play in that team as a 16-year-old.
« So he’s a once in a sort of 10, 15, 20 year player and I’m happy rugby’s going for him.
« I’m also glad that the aggressive approach from Rugby Australia is towards people that know the game. So the on-boarding them or getting their skills back up to speed, it’s not going to take a long time.
« He’s played the game up until two years ago. He’s played it his whole life. So, I think he’d be a superstar and I think it’s a good approach from Rugby Australia. »
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