Sia Soliola’s long journey from the Roosters, to England, to Canberra and the NRL grand final
Fourteen years after he debuted, as a Rooster no less, Raiders hardman Sia Soliola is now so close to league’s ultimate prize he can almost taste it.
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This grand final moment has been 14 years in the making for Canberra’s Iosia Soliola.
When Ricky Stuart handed him his debut on the wing at the Sydney Roosters in 2005, Soliola thought grand final appearances basically went hand-in-hand with being an NRL player.
After all, he had arrived into a Roosters side who had just completed their third consecutive grand final appearance. So he waited. And waited.
But that sort of success — and grand final appearances — never came during Soliola’s five year stint at the Sydney club.
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“I thought grand finals happen,” Soliola said. “It’s how you envision when you’re playing first grade. You don’t realise the hard work and a bit of luck that comes into play.
“Season after season, disappointment after disappointment. You get your goals ready and you’re ready to go again but it just doesn’t happen.”
Although today will be his first NRL grand final appearance, his five-year spell with St Helens in England yielded a Super League title in 2014.
LISTEN! In the season finale, Matty Johns is joined by James Hooper and Paul Kent to go over this Sunday’s grand final, plus how the build-up to the NRL’s biggest weekend can weigh on the favoured team (and how the Roosters are counteracting it!).
When he returned to Australia in 2015, it again was Stuart who handed him another debut — this time for the Canberra Raiders.
Soliola said he had spent plenty of time recently reflecting on his journey.
“It’s surreal,” Soliola said. “I never knew if an opportunity like this would come. 2016 was (our) last (opportunity to play in a grand final) and that was heartbreaking.
“I’m thinking about past players I’ve spoken to. I think about when I was at the Roosters, thinking I’ve got a long career ahead of me and being optimistic. Before you know it, I’m 33. That’s the message I try and tell guys like Corey Horsburgh and Bailey Simonsson.
“I’ve waited 14 years to get to this stage. Those guys have done it in their first year. Embrace it.
“What we’ve created here, these things don’t happen often. To come out this year and map everything out from November 1 and for it to come into fruition, I can’t explain it.
“I’ve played in grand finals in England and I found your energy can drain really quick if you don’t manage it right. It’s about containing my emotions and just really enjoying the moment.”
Originally published as Sia Soliola’s long journey from the Roosters, to England, to Canberra and the NRL grand final