Tweet
Roosters hierarchy go extra mile for Suaalii
Joseph Suaalii has a two-year deal at the Roosters with options in his favour for another two seasons. But during the past week there were two acts – one public and one private – that show how invested the club is in its teen superstar.
On Thursday, in pouring rain, Roosters heavyweights – chairman Nick Politis and board members Mark Fennessy, Peter Newton and Andrew Crawford – travelled to Penrith to see what the Suaalii family does for the charity group ReachOut NSW. They saw people arrive from all parts of Sydney and as far away as Wollongong to be fed by the charity, with the Suaalii family leading the way.
The Roosters bosses were blown away. They were not aware of this side of their star recruit. For a family that has been through a lot in recent times, with their son in the public eye day after day, it would have meant something to the Suaalii family that Politis used the morning to learn about their charity – and their family.
Politis was genuinely touched and emotional when he recounted the experience to his confidantes.
Then there were the scenes in the dressing room last Saturday night after the win over the Knights that was marred by the loss of Brett Morris and Lindsay Collins to season-ending – and potentially career-ending – knee injuries. Suaalii sat beside the Morris twins in the dressing room. He saw what a rugby league career meant to a great of the game – someone twice his age – and he saw what it meant to Morris to be part of the club.
For a teenager who wanted to keep his options open, it would be hard not to see that as a defining moment for a young man learning about his place in professional sport. If and when it comes to signing a new deal, the events of the past week are sure to be etched in his mind.
Joseph Suaalii has a two-year deal at the Roosters with options in his favour for another two seasons. But during the past week there were two acts – one public and one private – that show how invested the club is in its teen superstar.
On Thursday, in pouring rain, Roosters heavyweights – chairman Nick Politis and board members Mark Fennessy, Peter Newton and Andrew Crawford – travelled to Penrith to see what the Suaalii family does for the charity group ReachOut NSW. They saw people arrive from all parts of Sydney and as far away as Wollongong to be fed by the charity, with the Suaalii family leading the way.
The Roosters bosses were blown away. They were not aware of this side of their star recruit. For a family that has been through a lot in recent times, with their son in the public eye day after day, it would have meant something to the Suaalii family that Politis used the morning to learn about their charity – and their family.
Politis was genuinely touched and emotional when he recounted the experience to his confidantes.
Then there were the scenes in the dressing room last Saturday night after the win over the Knights that was marred by the loss of Brett Morris and Lindsay Collins to season-ending – and potentially career-ending – knee injuries. Suaalii sat beside the Morris twins in the dressing room. He saw what a rugby league career meant to a great of the game – someone twice his age – and he saw what it meant to Morris to be part of the club.
For a teenager who wanted to keep his options open, it would be hard not to see that as a defining moment for a young man learning about his place in professional sport. If and when it comes to signing a new deal, the events of the past week are sure to be etched in his mind.
Comment