How ‘genius’ Trent Robinson plotted Mark Nawaqanitawase code switch by offering what rugby couldn’t
What each code could offer their players after they hung up the boots has always leant in the favour of rugby. However, when the Roosters came calling to Mark Nawaqanitawase, what league could offer him post-career got his code swap over the line.
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Well before Mark Nawaqanitawase became a global rugby star at this year’s World Cup, Roosters coach Trent Robinson had seen enough to convince him the winger could become a league sensation.
That is why, unbeknown to all until now, Robinson held a secret meeting with Nawaqanitawase in June, to gauge his interest in switching codes.
“League has always been a part of my journey, it wasn’t the first time teams had been interested before,” 23-year-old Nawaqanitawase, who played in the Balmain junior league competition, told this masthead.
“But probably the moment I really considered this, it started six months ago, I met with Trent back then.
“That first meeting gave that feeling that this could happen.
“The Roosters are such a great club, but Trent, he is a genius. Just the way we spoke about footy, it triggered that possibility that I could really do this.
“That sparked it, and it went from there.
“That meeting was just a little thing that sparked it, but I did have a season to play and at the World Cup which I was lucky enough to get on.”
Nawaqanitawase shone for the Wallabies during The Rugby Championship and then at the World Cup, despite the Wallabies’ pool stage exit.
When he returned, he again met Robinson, Roosters boss Nick Politis and other club directors for lunch at Beppi’s, and the ball was rolling for Nawaqanitawase to become the first incumbent Wallaby to switch to league in the NRL era.
Not since Garrick Morgan in 1995 has an incumbent Wallaby signed for an Australian league club.
It was a monumental decision for Nawaqanitawase, and one that he reveals now is about much more than football, as was discussed over pasta and fish at the lunch seven weeks ago.
“In those conversations, aside from the footy side, was that footy doesn’t last forever,” Nawaqanitawase said.
“When we spoke, I found out about things they can help me with off the field, in terms of how I can be a better person, but also how I can better my life outside of footy, which is something all footballers should dive into at some point in their careers.
“For me, getting better as a person on and off the field was very important. I really do think the Roosters can help me in both areas.
“Coming back to that lunch that we had, there are things you need to think of beyond your football career.”
It is a rare thing for league to be seen as offering a better post-career path than union, which has traditionally lured players with the enticement of overseas experiences, and access to connections in the corporate world.
But Rugby Australia has been in a tumultuous slide; former chairman Hamish McLennan and the board sacked Dave Rennie at the start of the year to sign Eddie Jones, who bungled the World Cup then defected to Japan.
McLennan was sacked in a boardroom coup, and the Wallabies still have no coach for 2024.
The instability has cost them their most marketable player.
“It did play a part, a little bit, not knowing what’s kind of going on,” Nawaqanitawase said.
“It played a little part, but it was more so that I was very impressed with how the Roosters are doing things, and will do things, that was the big part of my decision, not the RA side of it.”
Nawaqanitawase signed a two-year deal with the Roosters for 2025-26, for $450,000 a year. He was offered $600,000 a year by RA. He also had a $3 million offer on the table from a Japanese club.
“People are different, money is good but it’s not something I need at the moment, for me the thing was the experience I could get,” Nawaqanitawase said.
“It’s not very often you have a team like the Roosters showing that much interest and are keen for you. In your life it doesn’t happen often.
“It was a great opportunity and one I had to take, because later on I might not get that opportunity again.
“After the World Cup I had a little break, and that’s when things started heating up with the negotiations in terms of what I was going to be doing for year 2025 and on, and I was lucky enough to be asked to meet up with Trent and Nick and some other Roosters club members.
“It started with the lunch, having a chat about footy, but more so connect with each other, try to get to know each other a bit, see if I could build a relationship with Trent and the Roosters.
“I had to learn more about them, as they did have to learn more about me, and see if we could fit.
“As the weeks went on, I got more comfortable with them, I guess they got more comfortable with me.
“It got to the point where I made the decision; I want to be a Rooster in 2025.”
But it wasn’t cut and dried.
Nawaqanitawase’s most difficult task was convincing his mum, Fiona Tovehi, and stepdad Aisake Tovehi, that the code switch was the right move for his career.
“The big ones were my mum and stepdad, they’re the ones important in my life and who I want to look after,” he said.
“Obviously they care about me, the big one was making sure everyone was happy with the decision I was going to make, they were a big part of the conversation, and my agents as well, they know what they’re doing so it was good to get that different mix, my family and my managers.
“Honestly, it was just getting my mum on board with it. My mum’s obviously very protective, and she loves union, so it was more so making sure she was happy with the decision I made, which she always is.
“At the end of the day, whatever I’m happy with, she’s happy with. But they worry about the big decisions in your life, and she was worried because it is a big decision for my future, it’s a couple of years.
“The protective side of her was just thinking of things that could go wrong, in terms of footy.
“She had every right to worry about it I feel. But at the end of day she’s happy if I’m happy, so it was good to have her on board.”
And Nawaqanitawase, who will play for NSW Waratahs in 2024, has made peace with the fact he’ll miss out on the once-in-a-lifetime chance of facing the British & Irish Lions, who tour Australia in 2025 when he’ll be in Roosters colours.
“Obviously that is a huge, huge event in union, for me it had to come down to what was right for me,” he said.
“At this time, where I’m at right now, the opportunity I was given, I couldn’t turn it down even though the British & Irish Lions tour is in that 2025 season.
“I just felt I had to do what was right for me.”
While critics have already suggested Nawaqanitawase won’t successfully transition to league given the limited carries union wingers make from their own quarter, he has unwavering belief in Robinson’s vision for him.
“People have got to realise that there’s other ways people see it, Trent saw it a different way,” Nawaqanitawase said.
“He wouldn’t go for me if he didn’t think I couldn’t fit in with the team and how they work.
“The exciting part for me as a player is touching the ball a bit more. Wingers in league these days sometimes top the carries with the front rowers, and most of the time they’re running it up the middle more so than anyone else.
“Part of the reason I transitioned is that in union, I tend to find the ball myself quite a bit and that’s the part people miss out, people who understand league but don’t know the union side.
“The good thing about Trent is that he has the knowledge of both games, that’s what made me so interested, that he can better my game to help them and help myself by experimenting.”
Nawaqanitawase’s agent, Andrew Fairbairn of Foundation Sports Group, said: “Mark has considered a range of pathways since returning from the World Cup. He felt working with Trent Robinson was the best thing for him at 24 years of age.
“Trent has a great understanding of both codes and how to improve players technically and tactically. The NRL is an elite competition and in Mark’s case, that was a clear reason to have this experience while he is so young.”
And Nawaqanitawase intends on shedding weight at the end of next years in order to become a success in the NRL.
“I’m 105kg at the moment, I think I’ll be losing weight going to league, there’s a few solid boys but I don’t think there are too many wingers in the NRL who are that weight,” he said.
“I’d like to say I’m pretty quick where I’m at, at the moment, I think I’ll be losing a bit of weight and hopefully developing a bit more speed.
“But I’ve got a whole year to go at the Tahs, I’ve got a long way to go in terms of getting fitter and stronger and definitely faster.
“When it comes to league, I wouldn’t want to get any heavier, or else I might be in the middle.”
WALLABIES WHO SWITCHED TO LEAGUE
Garrick Morgan: The towering lock made his Wallabies debut in 1992 and played 16 Tests before his famous defection to the newly founded South Queensland Crushers in the ARL in 1995 on a three-year, $600,000 deal. But it was an unhappy move, and after just two appearances he returned to union with the Queensland Reds.
Brian Smith: Played six Tests for the Wallabies including four games at the 1987 World Cup, then switched allegiances to Ireland where he played a further nine Tests between 1989-91. Smith then changed codes, joining Balmain Tigers where he played 37 games, and then joined the Roosters in his final season in 1994.
Scott Gourley: The flanker captained the Australian Schoolboys rugby team in 1986, and two years later made his Wallabies debut. He played five Tests for Australia before switching to the Dragons, where he forged a legendary league career from 1990-96, and then with the Roosters in his final two years of playing. He also represented NSW and Australia.
Brett Papworth: The talented centre played 15 Tests for the Wallabies between 1985-87, including five games at the 87 World Cup. He joined the Roosters in 1988 and played seven games before retiring in 1991 aged 27 due to injuries.
Matt Burke: Not to be confused with the World Cup-winning fullback, the winger from Randwick played 23 Tests for the Wallabies between 1984-87, and then joined Manly Sea Eagles in 1988. He played 52 first grade games for Manly, the Roosters and Balmain Tigers.
Michael O’Connor: The goalkicking centre made 13 appearances for the Wallabies between 1979-82, then switched to the Dragons in 83. He went on to win the 1987 premiership with Manly Sea Eagles, and played 19 State of Origin games for NSW, and 18 Tests for the Kangaroos.
Ray Price: A flanker who started at the Parramatta Two Blues, Price made his Wallabies debut in 1974, scored a try against the All Blacks and played in seven Tests before he switched to the Parramatta Eels in 1976. From there he became a league icon, playing 259 first grade games for the Eels, 15 times for NSW and 22 Tests for the Kangaroos.
Russell Fairfax: The golden-haired fullback played eight Tests for the Wallabies between 1971-73, then joined the Roosters in 1974. Fairfax became a star in league, playing 115 games for the Chooks, and four games for South Sydney in his last season in 1981.
Kevin Ryan: The tighthead prop played five Tests for Australia from 1957-58, then joined the Dragons in 1960. He won the premiership in all six seasons for St George during their record-breaking 11-year title run, then joined Canterbury-Bankstown from 1967-69. He also played eight games for NSW and two Tests for the Kangaroos.
Michael Cleary: The decorated politician and wrestling commentator played six Tests for the Wallabies in 1961, then joined South Sydney Rabbitohs the following year. He played 140 games for the Bunnies, 13 times for the Roosters, and represented NSW and the Kangaroos between 1962-69.
Rex Mossop: The lock played nine Tests for the Wallabies between 1948-51, then joined English league club Leigh in 1952. After three seasons, he returned to Australia to play for Manly Sea Eagles between 1956-63, and also made eight appearances for NSW and nine Tests for the Kangaroos.
Dally Messenger: After two Tests for the Wallabies in 1907, Messenger joined Eastern Suburbs in 1908 and would go on to become an all-time great, recognised as one of league’s Immortals.
Originally published as How ‘genius’ Trent Robinson plotted Mark Nawaqanitawase code switch by offering what rugby couldn’t
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