Joseph Suaalii rejects South Sydney Rabbitohs for $3 million deal with Australian rugby
Rugby Australia may suddenly be in the box seat to sign 16-year-old sensation Joseph Suaalii but Souths aren’t going down without a fight and are hoping a bit of star power can make a difference.
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Hollywood actor Russell Crowe is expected to step in as South Sydney bid to stop 16-year-old sensation Joseph Suaalii from accepting an eye-watering three-year $3m offer from Australian rugby — the biggest ever offered to a teenager.
While Rugby Australia is suffering financially, facing $20m of debt, News Corp Australia understands rich third-party benefactors are willing to help stump up the millions to attract the 196cm 96kg fullback who is in Year 11 at the exclusive King’s School in western Sydney.
On an RA contract he could represent Australia in the Rugby Sevens at next year‘s Tokyo Olympics.
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It is believed Souths owner Crowe, who led the negotiations that eventually attracted Rabbitoh heroes Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis, will do everything he can do to encourage Suaalii to stick with the Redfern club.
Contracted to Souths until the end of next season, Suaalii last month agreed to a three-year extension at Redfern worth $1.7 million. But the Rabbitohs could not register the contract with the NRL until Suaalii turned 17 on August 1, which has given RA time to swoop in with a mind-blowing $1-million-a-year offer.
That equates to a weekly payment of nearly $20,000.
RA sources close to Suaalii told News Corp Australia the boom fullback would now reject Souths to become a Wallaby.
It is a massive and timely coup for rugby union, a sport in a desperate state of decline due to poor on-field performances and the devastating impact of COVID-19 on its finances.
Under NRL rules, Suaalii could not play NRL until he turned 18. Those rules, implemented to protect rising stars, are set to cost rugby league a next-generation star.
Rabbitohs management would not comment on Tuesday afternoon but had not heard Suaalii was defecting to rugby union and stressed he was under contract next year at Redfern.
Suaalii spent the off-season training with South Sydney’s NRL squad.
Just after pre-season training concluded, new Wallabies coach Dave Rennie unsuccessfully attempted to sign Suaalii. Not to be discouraged, Rennie went back again and nabbed his man.
Only last month, Rennie revealed: “I met him (Suaalii) when I was here in January, impressive athlete and a very mature kid for 16.
“As you get with guys like Joseph, they command a lot of attention and clearly Souths are very interested in him and have thrown some serious money in front him.
“So he’s just an example of the type of kids that we want to keep in our game, but it’s a competitive market and it’s not easy.”
News Corp Australia understands Suaalii will play Super Rugby Australia for the NSW Waratahs.
A Glenmore Park product in Sydney’s west, Suaalii has been in the South Sydney system since he was 11, with many believing he was destined to become a rugby league superstar.
There were suggestions Souths had plans to fast-track Suaalii straight into their NRL side the day he turned 18 next year.
Rabbitohs legend Sam Burgess even described Suaalii as “unbelievable.”
“Look, I hate rapping young kids,” Burgess told Fox Sports.
“I‘ve seen him first-hand, training with the first team, and forget his athletic ability — what I saw inside Joseph Suaalii that day, I saw (how) we took him to the edge of the cliff and he hung on for dear life and he had the courage of a 25 to 28-year-old man.
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“And he was riding contact — this was six months ago — like any other first-grader. I‘ve never ever seen a kid do that and never mind an outside back.
“So I hate rapping a young kid because it‘s unwarranted, but I’ve seen him first-hand, he’s pretty special.”
At just 16, Suaalii has already represented NSW in rugby league, rugby union, AFL and basketball. He also represented the Australian Schoolboys and Australian under 18s rugby union sides.