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Roosters young gun Joseph Suaalii has turned into a “physical specimen” according to NRL legend Cooper Cronk.
The versatile 18-year-old suffered a Lisfranc injury at training prior to a round 17 clash against the Bulldogs which required surgery.
While on the mend, Suaalii is yet to return to full training - but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been putting in the hard yards.
Last December, Roosters skipper James Tedesco spoke of Suaalii’s freakish ability, revealing the teen star is “looking huge”... and now it seems he’s taken it to another level.
“Naturally for someone who was already quite big and physically gifted, spend a bit of time in the gym because he couldn’t run, and he is a physical specimen,” Cronk said to Fox League.
“He is doing things at his age that I was never capable of doing, he has been putting the time in the gym.
“He was already a big boy but now he is a bigger boy.”
Despite the season fast approaching, Suaalii’s recovery hasn’t been hurried and last year the young gun said he wouldn’t be “rushing anything” to make sure he is fit and firing.
“If my foot holds up well and I’ve ticked all the markers, I want to be there Round 1. If ‘Robbo’ wants to put me in later, that’s fine. I won’t be too stressed,” Suaalii said to The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Hopefully I’m back running (on the field) in the new year. I won’t rush anything.”
Suaalii is already one of the most exciting young prospects in the league and will be hoping to return bigger and better in 2022.
But, he may not be a lock to start just yet, with his injury halting his pre-season development.
When asked if Suaalii should start in the Roosters backline Cronk said: “naturally you would say yes”.
“But he is still returning from injury. He has had an interrupted preseason, not at full training yet,” he explained.
“You have young Billy Smith that is there too, Kevin Naiqama, I think there is one or two spots up for grabs between say three or four players.
“A few of them have to get back on the training paddock to get that upper hand at the moment.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...1e0ef41c0dc198
The versatile 18-year-old suffered a Lisfranc injury at training prior to a round 17 clash against the Bulldogs which required surgery.
While on the mend, Suaalii is yet to return to full training - but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been putting in the hard yards.
Last December, Roosters skipper James Tedesco spoke of Suaalii’s freakish ability, revealing the teen star is “looking huge”... and now it seems he’s taken it to another level.
“Naturally for someone who was already quite big and physically gifted, spend a bit of time in the gym because he couldn’t run, and he is a physical specimen,” Cronk said to Fox League.
“He is doing things at his age that I was never capable of doing, he has been putting the time in the gym.
“He was already a big boy but now he is a bigger boy.”
Despite the season fast approaching, Suaalii’s recovery hasn’t been hurried and last year the young gun said he wouldn’t be “rushing anything” to make sure he is fit and firing.
“If my foot holds up well and I’ve ticked all the markers, I want to be there Round 1. If ‘Robbo’ wants to put me in later, that’s fine. I won’t be too stressed,” Suaalii said to The Sydney Morning Herald.
“Hopefully I’m back running (on the field) in the new year. I won’t rush anything.”
Suaalii is already one of the most exciting young prospects in the league and will be hoping to return bigger and better in 2022.
But, he may not be a lock to start just yet, with his injury halting his pre-season development.
When asked if Suaalii should start in the Roosters backline Cronk said: “naturally you would say yes”.
“But he is still returning from injury. He has had an interrupted preseason, not at full training yet,” he explained.
“You have young Billy Smith that is there too, Kevin Naiqama, I think there is one or two spots up for grabs between say three or four players.
“A few of them have to get back on the training paddock to get that upper hand at the moment.”
https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl...1e0ef41c0dc198
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