Ex-Wallaby Mark Nawaqanitawase’s incredible bench press strength proves he has the physical edge to thrive in NRL

Renowned for his speed and jumping ability, Mark Nawaqanitawase has also achieved an incredible physical feat that rivals most NRL props, proving he’s ready for the 13-a-side game ahead of his Roosters debut.

Wallabies fans will get their first taste of what the team will be missing against the British & Irish Lions when Mark Nawaqanitawase makes his NRL debut on Friday night, and the underrated factor will be his strength.

Rugby insiders were stunned when 23-year-old bench pressed 170kg during the Sevens preparations before the Olympics.

It is an incredible feat that would rival most NRL props, and reveals a key reason as to why the Roosters courted him so heavily.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson had not intended to play Nawaqanitawase this season – openly stating that he wanted to develop the flyer in NSW Cup and elevate him to the NRL in 2025 – but a spate of injuries has allowed him to be picked.

Nawaqanitawase will start on the right wing against the South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday night in place of Dominic Young, who is being rested before the finals series begins.

In the space of 12 months, Nawaqanitawase will have played in a Rugby World Cup, Olympic Games and the NRL – a feat only achieved by Sonny Bill Williams and Semi Radradra.

Former Wallabies Star and Paris Olympian Mark Nawaqanitawase will make his NRL debut on Friday night. Picture: Thomas Lisson

We can all see Nawaqanitawase’s jumping ability and speed off the mark, which is what made him such a dynamic attacking weapon for the Wallabies, Waratahs and Aussie sevens team.

But to succeed in the NRL, the 100kg winger must be able to carry the ball out from his own line in the face of rushing defences and make yardage.

One of the key differences between league and union is the role of wingers in their own quarter.

Nine out of 10 times, when in his own 22, the job of a union winger is to find touch through a clearing kick, put up a bomb to challenge for possession, or spread the ball wide to open up a counter-attacking opportunity.

And nine times out of 10 for a league winger, it is tuck the ball under the arm, smash into the bodies trying to drive him backwards, and rise quickly to play the ball.

Nawaqanitawase has already shown in his appearances in the NSW Cup that he is fine with the attacking elements of league; catching cross-field kicks, running inside lines and finishing chances on the wing.

Mark Nawaqanitawase representing Australia during the Paris Olympics. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

What he will be under most pressure to nail is his carries from his own quarter, an often thankless job that comes with the greatest risk for error and least room for creativity.

But Nawaqanitawase’s raw power will be crucial as Souths playmakers Cody Walker, Dean Hawkins and Damien Cook pepper him with aerial and ground assaults to force mistakes.

Nawaqanitawase will not, of course, be judged on his first game alone.

But it speaks volumes that the Wallabies were prepared to lose him to the rival code and he is already deemed good enough to play first grade.

It is ironic that Nawaqanitawase gets his chance in part because Roosters teammate Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is injured.

Suaalii will essentially take Nawaqanitawase’s place in the Wallabies when he joins Australian rugby at the end of this season, and will be a poster boy for the Lions series next year.

They each have their different journeys and the comparisons will be unfair, but inevitable.

This time next year, the verdict will be in as to which sport got the better deal.

Originally published as Ex-Wallaby Mark Nawaqanitawase’s incredible bench press strength proves he has the physical edge to thrive in NRL