NRL 2021: Joseph Suaalii to debut for Sydney Roosters
It didn’t take long for teenage prodigy Joseph Suaalii to make an impression on Roosters coach Trent Robinson, who admits the young gun is “incredible to watch”.
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Joseph Suaalii sat outside Roosters HQ at 6am. The 17-year-old was early for his first day as a Rooster. Not by 10 or 20 minutes, but by about two hours.
Coach Trent Robinson had asked Suaalii to meet him for a chat before the Roosters squad were due to start training at 8am late last year.
From the busy Suaalii family home at Glenmore Park, where he lives with mother Salina, father Chris and six sisters and one brother, the teenager woke before sunrise to get started on his dream.
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The kid that other kids already look up to, had left his indelible mark on the Roosters hierarchy, before he had even said hello.
At the iconic SCG, where Australia’s greatest sporting legends have produced memories they now point at in scrapbooks, an NRL prodigy will take his first steps towards joining them.
The wait to see Suaalii in the big time is over. “We’re very proud — the whole family is excited,’’ Suaalii’s father Chris told The Daily Telegraph.
Judiciously cutting loose from a contract, development path and trajectory to first grade with arch-rivals South Sydney and also rejecting million-dollar overtures from the Australian Rugby Union, the Glenmore Park Brumbies junior will run out in the jumper number greater than his age.
At 17 and 294 days, Suaalii will replace veteran Josh Morris in the centres wearing jersey No.21 for the Roosters against the Broncos at 5.30pm. He will become the youngest debutant since Jason Taumalolo in round 24, 2010.
UNDER-AGE EXEMPTION
NRL rules state players must be 18 to play first grade.
The level of detail NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo demanded from the Roosters and his own staff to investigate the club’s submission for Suaalii’s exemption is unprecedented.
Aside from a reference letter from Robinson, the process included Suaalii performing detailed physical and psychological sessions with NRL high performance manager Troy Thompson and psychologist Steve Johnson.
Abdo met Suaalii and his family, ensuring that the teenager had a support network and was emotionally ready for the pressure of playing first grade. The Roosters also needed to provide the NRL with an alcohol and gambling management plan, given Suaalii is under-age.
“I wanted to make sure, along with the NRL, and the Commission that the exemption was warranted and we were protecting the club, the player and the game,” Abdo said. “The Roosters had a very detailed plan for phasing him in. It wasn’t going to be an overnight thing.
“My conversation with the headmaster of Kings was that he has been a role model for younger kids at the school and an inspiration for them.
“That was all factored into the decision that the commission ultimately considered on making the exemption. I hope he has a long and successful career in the NRL.’’
MENTORS AND SUPPORT
Safeguarding Suaalii’s image, the Roosters have removed back of jersey sponsor Unibet for his NRL appearance. The club has also provided him with a school tutor as he navigates through his HSC. Respected teammates Joseph Manu and Sio Siua Taukeiaho have been appointed Suaalii’s mentors.
MAGICAL WAIT
Suaalii’s arrival to the NRL has always been about timing.
And as excited and proud as they are of their eldest son, it’s hard not to feel for the Suaalii family who drove from Sydney to Brisbane last weekend.
The Roosters 18th man for the past several weeks, Suaalii and his family could never be certain when his moment would arrive.
In an indication of how tight-knit they are, the Suaalii family took the almost 2000km road trip to Brisbane -—just in case their boy was called upon.
More than 50 family and friends will be at the SCG on Saturday night.
CHARITY FOR ALL
Suaalii has been playing rugby league since he was five, beginning with the Brumbies, before he was scouted by the prestigious Kings School to play rugby union.
His talent isn’t resigned to just league. In Year 6 at Regentville Public School, he made the PSSA teams for AFL, athletics, rugby union and rugby league.
His grandfather was a Samoan boxing champion and his father, Chris, emigrated to Australia as a teenager.
Chris and Salina operate Reach Out NSW, a food bank that feeds hundreds of poor and homeless families around Western Sydney every week.
Prior to being occupied with finishing his HSC and training with the Roosters, Suaalii and his siblings would regularly help with the distribution of food hampers.
TICKET SPIKE
The Roosters will celebrate the career of Jake Friend by honouring the former co-captain at the SCG who has been forced into retirement due to a number of head knocks.
Ticket sales have been steady, but Roosters CEO Joe Kelly admitted he felt there would be a groundswell of ticket sales following news of Suaalii’s inclusion.
“We have a two-for-one ticket offer so that fans can bring a friend to say thanks to Jake,” Kelly said. “As for Joseph playing, I can see that ticket sales are stronger than they normally would be 24-hours out from a game like this.
“I would imagine it’s a game that a lot of fans would like to say they were at.’’
LATE QUERY
South Sydney attempted to have one final crack at derailing the debut of Suaalii.
Ahead of the 17-year-old’s NRL debut, the Rabbitohs made contact with the NRL on Thursday night to question Suaalii’s contract status.
Suaalii had been in the Rabbitohs system before seeking a release late last year to join the Roosters.
Proving the hatred between both clubs is alive and well, the senior Rabbitohs official sent a screenshot of the Roosters’ registered contract list which appears on the governing body’s website NRL.com.
Suaalii’s name wasn’t on the website as of Thursday night despite him being formally registered by the NRL auditor several months ago.
The NRL told the Rabbitohs official that Suaalii was indeed registered and the website is now showing he is contracted to the Roosters through until 2022.
ROBBO: SUAALII HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE TO WATCH
Trent Robinson has explained why Joseph Suaalii is ready for the NRL.
The Roosters coach has provided a telling insight into the maturity of the teenage prodigy ahead of his first grade debut against the Broncos on Saturday night.
Robinson has recorded a special interview with Fox Sports that will go to air prior to the 17-year-old’s debut game.
“Everybody’s cup is different,’’ Robinson told Fox League.
“So you have got to fill it with enough information that they can understand how to play NRL because that’s their goal. But you don’t want it to spill over so that they can’t be themselves.
“Trying to work that out as a coach, I guess that’s the art of coaching and we’re always trying to get it right. We don’t always get it right.
“Joseph has made that easy for us because he’s handled the workload.
“It’s been incredible to watch. He (Suaalii) was going through exams the other week, while training and he handled it really well.
“That’s part of becoming a professional.
“If you can handle school work, plus play, you can definitely handle the rigours of video and information that we give them.
“But never enough that it’s going to overtake their personality on the field.
“You need them to express themselves and how they play.”
Originally published as NRL 2021: Joseph Suaalii to debut for Sydney Roosters
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