Blues rookie Joseph Suaalii insists he hasn’t made any plans to rejoin rugby league after his switch to rugby union despite steady speculation linking him with a return to the team he loves: the Roosters.
It has been widely reported that the 20-year-old has told Roosters supremo Nick Politis he will be back at Bondi as soon as his Rugby Australia deal finishes in 2027. But Suaalii, whose RA contract starts next year, says that is news to him.
“I honestly have not said anything,” Suaalii told this column. “Nick says that all the time, which is good to hear that he wants me at the club. He is a good man and I respect everything that he has done for me and the club – but I honestly have not looked that far ahead.
“I’m focused on playing for the Roosters and now for the Blues on Wednesday night.”
Suaalii laughed off the idea that Blues selection would convince him to backflip on his rugby deal or even guarantee a return to the 13-man code later in his career.
“I love rugby, too, and everyone knows I want to go there and live my dream,” he said.
Joseph Suaalii warming up with the NSW Blues at a training camp in the Blue Mountains.Credit: Getty
After three years of intense scrutiny in the NRL since he snubbed South Sydney to sign for the Roosters, Suaalii says he has found peace with his every move being scrutinised. He says he has “become a man”, and that newfound maturity has been the key to his rise to become Michael Maguire’s baby Blue.
Soon to be the highest-paid player in any football code in Australia, Suaalii isn’t angry about the way he has been treated in the media, revealing he does his best to avoid reading headlines.
“I feel like I’m in a place where I found peace with the media and everything around it,” he says. “I’m just focused on playing and, to be honest, family and friends’ opinions really matter to me. It was a stressful start to my career when I was young. You kind of don’t know how to handle it.
“I’ve obviously learnt a lot during that three-year period. I’m 20 now, I feel like I’m starting to grow into a man, so you adapt.
“I find different ways to handle things and I feel like I’ve found peace with it. And I’ve found peace with understanding that it’s just the media’s job to sell papers.”
He has had plenty of time to get used to the attention.
“I feel like I’ve been in the public eye for a while,” he says. “I think my first article was when I was maybe 13 or 14 and comparing me to Israel Folau. Back then it was fun to say you’re in the paper, but now you need to deal with it and accept it. I’ve learnt how to do it and that makes my life easier.”
Sounds of silence
The most obvious difference between the Blues under Brad Fittler and Michael Maguire’s team is the lack of noise. The absence of the boombox, a constant during the Fittler era, has made team camp a much more peaceful place.
This column spent the week waiting for a blast of tunes courtesy of Jarome Luai, Stephen Crichton and Brian To’o, but not once did we experience the musical mayhem the trio brought to previous camps.
It’s worth noting Luai has been added to the leadership group and has adjusted the way he carries himself around the squad. He spoke brilliantly at a press conference on Thursday about what the blue jumper meant to him.
Nicho’s time
Nathan Cleary has given his replacement in the NSW No.7 jersey, Nicho Hynes, his unconditional support.
Cleary and Mitchell Moses both succumbed to injury in the lead-up, opening the door for Hynes to take on the running of the team.
Nicho Hynes with Nathan Cleary at a Blues camp in 2022.Credit: James Alcock
“I think he is a great player and a quality person,” Cleary said. “I just hope that we get behind [the halves] as a state. And I know I’ll be putting my support behind the team, particularly in the halfback position.”
Cleary has emerged from his funk after re-injuring his hamstring last month, and the Panthers skipper has credited the young daughter of teammate James Fisher-Harris for snapping him out of his injury misery. A quiet moment on the team bus after the match against the Bulldogs, the game in which Cleary suffered the injury, put him on the road to recovery.
“I was down in the dumps when I first did it and I was on the bus on the way back to the academy,” Cleary said.
“I sat by myself at the back and just put my head down, and Fish’s daughter came out of the back of the bus and just sat next to me and started talking to me. It was just like, ‘What am I talking about?’
“You know, there’s so much more to life than football and I have so much more to give in other areas. And just a little conversation like that puts a lot into perspective. It’s an injury. It’s not the end of the world.”
Pick and stick
Michael Maguire will never say it publicly but the team he announced for Origin I last weekend was set in stone two weeks earlier. Of course, Maguire was sweating on injuries, but the team he named last Sunday night was the one he picked a fortnight previously.
That worked for players such as Nicho Hynes, who had a poor final NRL game before selection.
Maguire had decided Dylan Edwards would be his fullback, but there is a whisper Maguire’s first choice had been Tom Trbojevic – which places James Tedesco, who was put on standby on Saturday when Edwards went down with a quad strain, down the fullback list.
The unluckiest player was Connor Watson, who would have been in the 17 to cover a range of positions, including five-eighth, lock and centre, had he not been injured.
Frank appraisal
Blues football manager Frank Ponissi has heaped praise on the Roosters and coach Trent Robinson for their support of the state team.
“They have been incredibly flexible and supportive with the situation we had with Luke Keary and James Tedesco,” Ponissi said. “We needed Luke as cover for the week and they didn’t hesitate for a moment. Then, when we called Trent so close to a game about Teddy, there was nothing but co-operation. I know how these things can impact a club, but the way the Roosters have been [handling it] deserves the highest praise.”
Commentator Cam
Cameron Munster will be at Origin after all, with the injured Maroons playmaker set to provide special comments on Nine’s coverage. The TV role could provide a glimpse into the future for Munster, who is a natural behind the microphone.
Bennett blasts Benji’s critics over family break
Wayne Bennett has jumped to the defence of Benji Marshall, telling critics of the rookie Wests Tigers coach to “move with the times” and “mind their own business”.
Benji Marshall and Wayne Bennett in 2021.Credit: Getty
Marshall has been heavily criticised for taking four days off to be with his family in Fiji while the Tigers have the bye this weekend. The first-season head coach has made it clear that he will accept criticism if results are not forthcoming, but makes no apology for drawing a line between family and work life.
The results have not been there and Marshall is copping flak for giving his players the week off and jetting off for a break himself.
“What do people want?” asked Bennett, who has worked with Marshall previously at Brisbane, South Sydney and with New Zealand. “Do they want to destroy his family? It’s a high-pressure job and taking a few days away will only do him good. We’ve got the bye coming up and I’ll be going away. You need the balance and Benji is within his rights to get away.
“I encourage my players to go away. I’ve had players go to America. I remember [at the Broncos] in 2006 we decided to have that approach and we won a competition that year. People criticising Benji need to move with the times and worry about themselves. They should mind their own business.”
The Tigers team is cooked mentally after eight straight losses. The players need a break. It was planned in January and was always happening. If you think Marshall is not working on a plan to get the Tigers winning again while on holiday, then you don’t know the depth of his competitive spirit.
Don’t forget, beneath Benji’s brilliance was a man who came back from five shoulder reconstructions. He is determined and wants to win. But like Frank Sinatra, he will do it his way.
Des-perate moves
A story this week that Manly had subpoenaed the Titans to provide phone records and other details of their dealings with Des Hasler was legitimate and interesting, but left the Sea Eagles looking out of touch.
Des Hasler.Credit: Getty
It was leaked to News Corp that Manly were attempting to uncover information to support their cause in their dispute with Hasler, who is seeking a seven-figure sum from the club after it sacked him at the end of the 2022 season.
But the Sea Eagles were jumping at shadows. They wanted clarification over whether the Titans and Hasler had been in communication while he was still in charge at Brookvale. As any subpoenaed information will show, they are barking up the wrong tree. The Titans-Hasler negotiations were some of the most professional and well managed in recent history, taking place completely under the media’s radar.
Manly could learn a thing or two from the Titans about how to conduct contract talks, given recent reports about their handling of negotiations with Anthony Seibold over an extension to his deal.
Furthermore, Manly did not even have the courtesy to pick up the phone to England Rugby before offering Seibold a job while he was still under contract.
If Manly concentrated their efforts on resolving the contract dispute with Hasler instead of PR spin, everyone could move on.
Hasler will always remain one of Manly’s favourite sons thanks to his contributions as a player and coach. This saga is damaging the Sea Eagles, who need to put it to bed and continue developing their club under the impressive Seibold.
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