‘I’m not sure if I’ll see him again in a professional sense’: No guarantees Joseph Manu will return to NRL after rugby stint

Rugby league will lose one of its biggest stars when Joseph Manu heads to rugby union, and he may never return to the NRL.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson says there are no guarantees we’ll see Joseph Manu back in rugby league. Picture: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP

Roosters coach Trent Robinson concedes Joseph Manu may never return to the club after it was confirmed earlier in the week that the former Golden Boot winner had officially agreed to join Japanese rugby club Toyota Verblitz.

Manu will head overseas at the end of the season, but the assumption was that he’d one day return to rugby league and the Roosters.

Robinson even said that Manu “will always be a Rooster”, but there’s every chance the two-time premiership winner won’t return after nine years of incredible service.

Joseph Manu will leave the NRL at the end of the season to join Japanese rugby.

“I don’t know, to be honest. I’m not sure if he’ll be back here or not,” Robinson said.

“I’d like him to because this is his home, but I’m not sure he will be or not.

“I’d like that to be the assumption that he does return here, but there’s definitely nothing there about him returning, otherwise I’d be a little bit happier right now.

“I’ve known him since he was a kid and we’ve shared a lot of experiences together, but after this year, I’m not sure if I’ll see him again in a professional sense.”

The Kiwis star showed last week just how damaging he could be at fullback, with Manu returning to right centre for the Storm game with skipper James Tedesco back in the side.

The Roosters would have loved to have kept him, but money, a new challenge and the ability to live overseas with his young family proved too tempting for Manu, who will be missed greatly by all NRL fans.

Manu is coming off his best game of the year against Newcastle. Picture: NRL Photos

“It’s a huge loss for us and the game,” Robinson said.

“It was done in the right way and it was really transparent, but you can’t downplay losing Joey Manu because there’s not someone who’s going to walk in and do that role.

“It’s not exactly what we wanted, but it was done in the right way and we respect that.

“The circumstances are a little different here because there’s a desire for a challenge in a different code to the one he grew up with, plus he wants to travel and live overseas.

“It’s a different competition than usual.”

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Joseph Manu will both leave the Roosters at the end of the season, but the club is confident it has the depth to replace them. Picture: NRL Photos

It’s not just Manu leaving at the end of the year, with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii also heading to rugby, and the Roosters don’t have much time to start chasing talent for 2025, which is why Robinson says they’ll look to develop their own young guns.

Billy Smith has recently re-signed, while there are huge raps on Robert Toia, who has suffered several injury setbacks.

“The first thing is that we look within,” he said.

“We’ve done a really good job over the last decade of looking within and then filtering some high-end talent around that.

“We’re not in a rush. We’ll make sure that we do our homework in the right way and offer those opportunities for some of the young guys to come through, like they have.

“We don’t have anything planned right now. It’s late to go and make a big splash for next year, so that won’t be the case.”

The Roosters are hopeful that Sam Walker will be back soon as he prepares to miss his second game in a row. Picture: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Robinson confirmed that halfback Sam Walker wouldn’t play against Melbourne despite being named on an extended bench.

Walker was concussed after he copped a knee to the head during the Bulldogs game and hasn’t checked off the boxes required to play.

“He didn’t pass the protocols,” Robinson said, hopeful Walker will return next week.

“He tried to train yesterday, but he didn’t quite get there, so he got ruled out today.

“There are steps that you’ve got to tick off, and he didn’t pass one of the stages, so it just puts you back. He’s just got to pass those stages before he gets to play again.”

Originally published as ‘I’m not sure if I’ll see him again in a professional sense’: No guarantees Joseph Manu will return to NRL after rugby stint