Young superstar Joseph Suaalii set to sensationally abandon the NRL to play for the Wallabies
Australia’s brightest young NRL star is set to sensationally DROP the code to play for the Wallabies in one of rugby’s biggest coups in decades.
- Wallabies have targeted young NRL stars
- Now the code has reportedly stolen one
- The code change will be a great success for the NRL
Roosters superstar Joseph Suaalii will accept a $1.6m deal to defect from the league to rugby union in 2025, it has been reported.
The move is likely to see the 19-year-old quickly break into the Wallabies squad once his NRL contract expires at the end of next year, with the national team set to play the British and Irish Lions in two years’ time.
Suaalii’s reported move was foreshadowed earlier in the week when news broke that his manager Isaac Moses had renewed his accreditation with Rugby Australia.
Now the Roosters are resigned to losing their current starting center-back, according to the daily telegraph.
Suaalii (pictured against the New Zealand Warriors in the second round this year) will reportedly send shockwaves through the NRL by switching the codes to rugby union.
Wallabies manager Eddie Jones (pictured) has made no secret of his desire to poach some of the NRL’s best young talent, and Suaalii fits that bill like few others.
Suaalii grew up playing rugby union and excelled in the sport during his time at Sydney’s exclusive King’s School, where he was spotted by NRL scouts while playing fullback.
Originally signed with South Sydney, he signed a contract with the Roosters in 2019 and was soon branded as a generational talent by Immortal rugby league Andrew Johns.
His likely defection to rugby union will be the biggest blow to the code since NRL superstars Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers and, most recently, Israel Folau switched to the 15 game and forged solid careers with the Kangaroos.
Eddie Jones, who returned as Wallabies manager last year, has made no secret of his desire to steal some of the NRL’s best young talent, with Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray on his target list in addition to Suaalii.
The 19-year-old (pictured playing Souths) first attracted the attention of NRL scouts when he rose to prominence as a fullback in schoolboys rugby union.
The young star reportedly wanted to play his preferred position of fullback at the Roosters, creating drama for the club due to the fact that James Tedesco, who recently extended his contract with the Tricolors, is arguably the best No. 1 in the game. .
Former Broncos star Karmichael Hunt, who rocked rugby league when he defected to the AFL before trying his luck in the union, said he believed Suaalii had a better chance than Murray to make the switch, and now it appears he has shown to be right.
The imposing full-back made his NRL debut against Brisbane in 2021, aged just 17, after receiving special dispensation from the governing body to play at such a young age.
He quickly stamped himself as one of the best young talents in the game and was selected to represent Samoa at last year’s World Cup, helping the underdog team reach the final like a fairy tale before losing to Australia. .