NRL news: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to keep Roosters, Wallabies promise; Market Watch update

Australian rugby-bound Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has solved one issue for the Roosters, with the Bondi club now racing the clock to lock-up a host of big-name stars.

Dylan Edwards fend off Sitili Tupouniua. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s mega move to rugby union won’t be impacted by the departure of Wallabies coach Eddie Jones as the Sydney Roosters sensation sets his sights on leaving rugby league with a bang.

This masthead understands that Suaalii remains committed to taking up his lucrative three-year deal with Rugby Australia, which begins in 2025 and is believed to be worth in excess of $5 million.

Even if the Roosters wanted to keep Suaalii beyond next season, they are hamstrung by the salary cap, having begun preparing for life in his absence.

The Roosters have been on a signing spree of late but they still need to lock away Joey Manu, Sitili Tupouniua and Terrell May, who are off contract at the end of next season.

Forward Angus Crichton, whose own move to rugby union has seemingly collapsed meaning he will likely resume training with the Roosters next month, is also off contract at the end of next season along with five-eighth Luke Keary.

Keary will have a decisive say in whether he continues at the Roosters as he weighs up his future.

Suaalii spurned the chance to play for Samoa in the Pacific Championships to concentrate on making a fast start to his last season at the Roosters, believing it was the least he could do for the club that gave him the chance to play in the NRL.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii has pledged to see out his Roosters contract before joining Australian rugby. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

He is due to return to training in late-November but this masthead understands that he remains committed to rugby union, having made clear his desire to play against the British and Irish Lions in 2025 before taking part in the 2027 World Cup.

While Jones was appointed coach of the Wallabies in January, the pursuit and signing of Suaalii was largely driven by chair Hamish McLennan.

McLennan’s own future at the helm of rugby union in this country has come under the spotlight given the cataclysmic decision to bring Jones back to lead the Wallabies at the World Cup.

There has been talk that McLennan could follow Jones out the door given his tenure has coincided with a period of unmitigated disaster for the code.

McLennan insists that he is going nowhere but he may not have the final say given the way recent events have unfolded. After promising the world when he first took charge, McLennan has delivered an atlas to a code in dire need of a kick-start.

Joseph Manu. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Sitili Tupouniua. Picture: Scott Gardiner/Getty Images

There is now talk that rugby union will be forced to take a downgraded broadcast deal when their current one expires, which would place even more pressure on their finances at a time when they have made Suaalii the highest paid athlete in either of the rugby codes.

Suaalii was seen as an important piece of the rugby union rebuild given his status as the leading teenager in either code, but his signing has brought its own difficulties to the troubled code and its embattled chair.

There has been talk that players and officials alike have raised questions over the amount of money committed to Suaalii, notwithstanding his rare talents and flawless personality.

If those rumours are to be believed, McLennan’s future may play a role in dictating what happens with Suaalii.

NRL clubs will no doubt be watching closely, although Suaalii is believed to have little interest in playing anywhere other than the Roosters such is his admiration for chair Nick Politis and coach Trent Robinson.

Originally published as NRL news: Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii to keep Roosters, Wallabies promise; Market Watch update