By Michael Chammas, Tom Decent and Iain Payten
Tension between the Sydney Roosters and Rugby Australia is set to explode with the NRL powerhouse club to meet with Wallabies rising star Mark Nawaqanitawase next week in a potential move that will send shockwaves through the 15-man game.
With Joseph Suaalii preparing to leave the club at the end of 2024, the Roosters could be on the verge of exacting revenge in a potential raid on one of the Wallabies’ best players at a disappointing World Cup campaign in France.
Mark Nawaqanitawase during the Rugby World Cup Pool C match between Wales and Australia at the World Cup.Credit: AP
Nawaqanitawase, who has drawn comparisons with a young Israel Folau, has caught the eye of the Roosters as they look to bolster their back line in preparation for Suaalii’s departure and Daniel Tupou’s likely retirement at the end of 2024.
Their attention comes as rugby is under the spotlight following a disastrous World Cup under now-departed coach Eddie Jones, as well as the massive $4.8 million, three-year deal for Suaalii, and a $1.6 million, two-year contract offered to fellow Roosters player Angus Crichton in a previously botched negotiation.
Nawaqanitawase, who is off contract with the NSW Waratahs at the end of 2024, is scheduled to meet with Roosters coach Trent Robinson and club supremo Nick Politis next week.
The Roosters are keen to explore the possibility of luring the 23-year-old back to rugby league after he played the 13-man game as a junior for both the Concord Burwood Wolves and Leichhardt Wanderers until the age of 14.
Mark Nawaqanitawase could be on the move.Credit: AP
His father Sevuloni was a rugby league player, who moved from Fiji to Sydney in 1991 to play for Balmain. As a Year 10 student, Nawaqanitawase also played rugby with future Wests Tigers five-eighth Adam Doueihi in the first XV for St Patrick’s College, Strathfield.
The Roosters declined to comment when contacted by this masthead on Friday afternoon. Nawaqanitawase’s management also declined to comment. Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan could not be reached.
Hamish McLennan, Trent Robinson, Joseph Suaalii.Credit:
Rugby Australia chief executive Phil Waugh was unaware of the meeting with the Roosters when contacted on Friday but said the 15-man game was very keen to retain the flying winger.
“A player like Mark is one of the key personnel to the future of the game in Australia,” Waugh said.
“There is the British and Irish Lions tour in 2025 and the home World Cup in 2027 and that’s an exciting runway of events coming up. It’s an amazing opportunity for all players to be involved in such historical sporting events in Australia.
“Mark is in the early days of his rugby career in Australia, and it’s important for us to give him the right direction and the best possible opportunity to succeed in the environment we provide. That’s our responsibility and we are working hard on that right now.”
In an interview with this masthead in May, Nawaqanitawase said he wanted a long-term deal with RA but the code was not willing to extend his deal beyond 2024. That decision may now come back to bite them.
“I would have liked more; I’d love to stay here as long as I can,” Nawaqanitawase said at the time. “With certain circumstances, we had to agree on something. The one-year [deal] was the best thing at the time.
Mark Nawaqanitawase scores a try against France.Credit: Getty
“In a perfect world I’d like to stay [in rugby], but there’s always a but. There’s obviously other things out there that might interest me.”
The 23-year-old made his Wallabies debut against Italy last year in Florence. He is regarded as one of the code’s brightest young talents, but Rugby Australia may find it difficult to keep him, Suaalii and Max Jorgensen, another Roosters target, at the Waratahs.
Losing Nawaqanitawase to rugby league would be a huge blow for the Waratahs and Australian rugby, with the massive British and Irish Lions tour in Australia coming up in 2025 and with the Rugby World Cup on home soil in 2027.
As a youngster, Nawaqanitawase was overlooked for all junior representative teams but still landed at the Waratahs academy. He later went on to play for the successful Junior Wallabies side in 2019. He debuted for the Waratahs in 2020 and has played 47 Super Rugby games since.
Nawaqanitawase earned his first cap for the Wallabies last year on the spring tour and scored a crucial double against Wales in just his third game.
In 2023, his rapid rise continued, and during Eddie Jones’ short tenure, he quickly emerged as one of the Wallabies’ primary attacking threats, both with the ball in hand and in the air.
With a similar body shape and athleticism, particularly in the air, Nawaqanitawase was likened early on to former Waratahs and Wallabies fullback Folau.
A confident player, Nawaqanitawase says he embraced the tag, rather than let it burden him.“Izzy Folau was awesome to watch and I feel like I can do some of the things he did,” Nawaqanitawase said last year.
“He made the game enjoyable to watch and I kind of want to do the same thing. I reckon I can open up the game a bit for the boys.”
Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.