Suaalii’s Penrith homecoming tackles rugby’s toughest challenge

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has fielded some tough questions during his career, but a young player from the Penrith RSL Silverbacks Junior Rugby Union Club almost blindsides him.

“What was it like to get sent off in Origin?” he asks.

Suaalii politely expresses his regret for his high shot on Queensland’s Reece Walsh in game one in 2024 before dealing with follow-up questions from excited teammates. At one of union’s major outposts at Nepean Rugby Park in Penrith, it is impossible to avoid rugby league.

The challenge for rugby in Penrith is stark. Less than 10km from Nepean Rugby Park you pass the large gleaming premises of St Marys League Club.

The Silverbacks have more humble origins. The club was set up in 2014 thanks to a donation of $1000 from the Classic Wallabies and some borrowed kit from the local primary school.

Last year, the area’s senior side, Penrith Emus, didn’t play any rugby after being omitted from the ACT’s John I Dent Cup, two seasons after being booted out of the Shute Shield. The Silverbacks’ best top-age grade talent had to move to other senior clubs. Under new president Adam Fletcher the Emus will return this year to play in suburban rugby to rebuild the pathway for the area’s talented juniors.

Suaalii’s visit to the Silverbacks’ training session with fellow western Sydney-raised Waratah Siosifa Amone is perfectly timed. The club’s volunteers can always do with more children signing up, and they hope that the visit of the two Waratahs will help drive up their numbers ahead of a new season.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii signs autographs for young players at Penrith RSL Silverbacks Junior Rugby Union Club.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Phil Malcolm is one of the club’s tireless coaches and is faced with the daunting challenge of getting local children from under 6s to under 10s to come and try rugby union when the Penrith Panthers cannot stop winning NRL premierships.

“It doesn’t help when the Panthers win four grand finals in a row,” Malcolm says. “But I live in St Mary’s and we’ve got the local rugby league clubs around there that have got three or four under 6 teams, under 7 teams, under 8 teams, and it’s like, how do we translate that across into a bigger interest into our code, as opposed to the other code.”

Suaalii understands Malcolm’s challenge better than most. As an incredibly gifted schoolboy athlete, his sporting talents were in serious demand from a young age in Penrith.

He briefly played for the Silverbacks in a sevens tournament at age 11 while juggling his commitments in junior rugby league for the Glenmore Park Brumbies.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was joined in Penrith by Waratahs prop Siosifa Amone.Credit: Wolter Peeters

While helping to run a handling drill, Suaalii is asked by young players to sign Panthers jerseys. A young girl then approaches wearing a Suaalii Roosters T-shirt. She tells him that the first rugby she watched on television was his Wallabies debut at Twickenham in November.

Suaalii believes that while rugby league will always remain strong in Penrith, more young players will try rugby union in the future. For the first time, NSW Rugby will also appoint a designated head of community rugby specifically for western Sydney to help drive participation.

“I grew up playing league and union, and I know a lot of these kids here play league and union as well, but I just feel like the game of rugby is starting to grow a lot,” Suaalii says.

“Round one [of Super Rugby] was amazing to watch, but even just the world stage, I feel like it does start from kids being able to watch it on TV, and even just little things like this, coming back to the community.

“It’s a strong rugby league area, but there’s so much potential from these kids being able to play rugby union. I just feel like there’s that next kid coming through that’s going to spark it.”

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii poses with two young players at Nepean Rugby Park in Penrith.Credit: Wolter Peeters

Beyond both rugby codes, Suaalii also excelled at athletics and basketball, helping him develop as an athlete. The Wallabies star wants local children to have the same opportunity to develop their love of sport at their own pace and to follow the same dreams he chased.

“I feel like the biggest thing I always try to push across is everyone has their own story and their own dream of being able to do things,” Suaalii says. “It could be playing AFL. I just see it as I’m a kid from western Sydney that just dreamed big, and I was allowed to play league and go play union.

“And I think for these kids, I would never say just play one sport, I’d say go play all these different sports.

“You could be the next NBA player, you could be the next AFL player, or it could be an NFL player, it could be anything. Honestly, it’s cool to come back and just see where I started.”

Approaching 8pm, Suaalii and Amone are still out on the field signing jerseys, boots and posters. A teenage girl also offers up her white handbag for a signature. Beyond more questions about State of Origin, Suaalii is also asked by an eager teenager if he has any spare change to help him buy a house.

As popular as the double act of Suaalii and Amone are, they are also now competing with a flavoured ice cart brought in specifically for their visit.

The majority of the children leave the field, but the two Waratahs stay and chat with parents and coaches until the sun fully sets. Suaalii knows wherever he travels in the world with rugby, he is always happiest back home where his sporting journey began.

“If anyone asks where I’m from, this is where I am from,” Suaalii says. “You know, it’s weird, when I was walking in I was just being able to reflect and see where I am now and, you know, I was one of these kids 10 years ago.”

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