Joseph Suaalii scores two tries on debut for North Sydney Bears
The Joseph Suaalii hype train arrived at Queanbeyan for the most anticipated reserve grade trial in history — check out how he fared.
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It is a right foot step for the ages and one which will generate headlines for the next decade but was soured by a late injury.
The Joseph Suaalii hype train arrived at Queanbeyan for the most anticipated reserve grade trial in history. And the fans were not disappointed.
No one knew what to expect as this was a 17-year-old who hadn’t played a game in 18 months. Suaalii wasted little time leaving his, scoring two tries and producing a step which will become his trademark — but he finished on the sidelines after limping off with apparent cramp.
He scored in both halves with his first after just 16 minutes. Wearing the famous North Sydney jersey – for the Sydney Roosters feeder side — you couldn’t miss this hulking headgear-wearing teen who stood taller than his mature-aged teammates as he took his place at right centre.
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His first try came off the back end of a pass from a cross-field kick but he perhaps should have passed the ball to his unmarked winger. He still had enough strength to carry the Raiders defender over to score.
With about 40 proud family and friends — among them being deregistered player agent Isaac Moses — watching on, the Suaalii tribe certainly made themselves heard when he scored. The notoriously media-shy family left it to uncle Amani who declared “we haven’t been surprised” by the interest in his nephew.
“We’re excited to watch him play,” Suaalii said.
“I was never going to miss this game.
“He is living his life, living his dream. He is doing good. I wasn’t nervous. I have a lot of confidence.
“The sky is the limit. Only he can tell you (where it will go). Since he could walk he was playing football. He is living his dream. He has a good mind on him.
“He is doing all right with the hype. He knows where he is going. We just let him do what he wants to do. I can’t wait (to see him play first grade). He is ready.”
While Amani said he avoided backyard clashes against his nephew there was nowhere for Suaalii to hide against a strong Raiders side which featured NRL players Emre Guler, Siliva Havili, Corey Horsburgh and Ryan James.
He marked up against Seb Kris in the opening half and fellow first-grader Harley Smith-Shields in the second.
Suaalii fumbled the ball with his first touch – albeit a tough opportunity when he tried to catch a contested bomb.
Things quickly improved and he produced good defensive reads including crunching Kris into making a mistake.
Despite the flashy brilliance he was also left struggling at times in his first game against men. He was helped from the field with five minutes left
There were concerns in the first half when he clutched at his hand after taking a hit-up. Shortly after being attended to by the trainer he dropped a hospital pass which was out in front of him as the Raiders defensive moved in before Canberra player Brigham Moeakiola scooped up the ball and raced 50 metres to score.
His second try came off a short-side raid where his right foot step exposed the Raiders defence.
Despite the flashy brilliance it was obvious Suaalii struggled in his first game in a long time, with cramp ending his match with five minutes left. He was also slow to get up after being crunched by James in the second half and was attended to by a trainer in the first half for a hand injury.
Originally published as Joseph Suaalii scores two tries on debut for North Sydney Bears
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