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Secret to Suaalii’s shots revealed as Roosters reap rewards of trumping rugby
Joseph Suaalii’s “leaguie” roots stretch back to the age of four and his training as a budding hitman even further as he prioritises his Roosters rise over any lucrative bid by Rugby Australia for his services.
Speaking for the first time since RA chair Hamish McLennan dubbed Suaalii a priority target with the 2027 World Cup used as bait to lure him to the code, the 19-year-old said the rugby union door “will always be open”.
But with his Roosters career taking flight and his second year of NRL expected to culminate in a Kangaroos World Cup call-up, Suaalii sees himself staying put at Bondi for the “next few years” at least.
The Roosters too are comfortable with Suaalii’s commitment and plan to negotiate a longer-term deal during the off-season that supersedes his current contract with a 2024 player option.
“I’ve been a leaguie since I was young and been playing league since I was four all the way until now,” Suaalii told the Herald.
“I love playing league and that’s what I’m focused on right now. That rugby door is always there and it’ll always be open. But right now and for the next few years, I’m focused right here and focused on playing good footy for the Roosters.
“I’ve always loved watching union and I keep an eye on guys I know. A couple of the Waratahs like Will Harris, Teddy Wilson debuted [recently] and I played with Angus Bell when we were younger.
“There’s a lot of guys coming through that I like to keep an eye on but NRL and Roosters is the focus.”
Suaalii is set for a significant pay rise in 2023, reportedly to the tune of $650,000, with RA touting a private equity deal to fund NRL raids that target the former Kings School product and Bulldogs super boot Matt Burton.
With James Tedesco, Joey Manu and Suaalii the Roosters enjoy both an embarrassment of fullback riches and an enviable headache fitting the trio into both future back lines and salary caps.
Despite only turning 19 a fortnight ago, Suaalii is playing with rare physicality. The Roosters’ 32-18 defeat of second-placed North Queensland made for five wins on the trot and an ominous finals warning.
Rivals including Tom Dearden, Ezra Mam and Trent Loiero have Suaalii’s father Chris to thank for the bellringers they have worn so far from the Roosters winger in 2022.
“I think as soon as I could walk, Dad got me on the tackling bags, he was teaching me how to tackle, how to run, kick and pass,” Suaalii said.
“So I was probably two or so. My dad is a tough bloke and he’d always make me cry out in the backyard. t
“We’d have a tackling bag and he’d be smashing me with it. Mum would come out and get into him - ‘Chris, what are you doing to him?’
“I loved it though. My uncles would come around and rough me up and I’d be that kid crying the whole time when I was younger so I was always waiting until I could get them back.
“I finally got to an age, about 13 or 14, where I could hold my own and get them back and for some reason those backyard sessions stopped, I think we’re done now.”
Suaalii says he has been standing “more or less at the same height I am now” – an imposing 196 centimetres – since that growth spurt.
Despite his rapid rise in stature, last year’s season-ending Lisfranc fracture was his first serious injury and in turn a valuable NRL lesson.
“That was a six-month injury and the first one I’ve ever really had. I think it was my body adjusting to the NRL.
“I probably didn’t know what it took to be an NRL player every week, I didn’t know how to look after my body like say a [Roosters teammate] Daniel Tupou does.
“Now I’m learning that. On a day off, you still have to look after your body. There’s a lot of ice baths, a lot of stretching, getting in early and really knowing your body, listening to it, that’s a big learning for me.”
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