Rugby Confidential: Latrell Mitchell’s tip to Joseph Suaalii on whether to choose rugby or NRL
‘I know from copping it at a young age just what he’s going through.’ Latrell Mitchell may lose his spot to Joseph Suaalii next year but the Souths fullback still had some invaluable advice for the teen tyro.
Rugby
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Latrell Mitchell has urged teenage star Joseph Suaalii to ignore pressure from league and union fans and choose the code that’s right for him.
Suaalii is tipped to sign a mega-deal with Souths, where he could challenge Mitchell for the fullback role, but rugby still remains in the mix.
“I know from copping it at a young age just what he‘s going through, if I could give him any advice, forget everyone else, worry about number one – and that’s him and his family,” Mitchell said.
Watch every game of Super Rugby AU and Super Rugby Aotearoa Live & On-Demand on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
“If the best opportunity for his family and for him is at rugby, then stay there and achieve that. Don‘t let the fella in the street tell you different, prove them wrong.
“He just needs to stay strong and do what he does.
“He’s a big lad and he’s going to be a great footy player, you can just sense it, he’s going to be a once-in-a-generation player.
“My first impression of him is that he‘s a really humble kid, he’s only at the start and he’s going to cop a lot more because of the player he can be.”
Talks on hold
The latest round of talks with New Zealand on the makeup of next year’s Super Rugby competition have been rescheduled for next week because of the latest border closures in Australia.
Rugby Australia is holding firm that there should be five teams from each side of the Tasman or it will go looking elsewhere.
The slim chances of Argentina fielding a team in an Australian competition are fading fast with news coming out of South America that the Jaguares have released all their top players because they can’t pay their salaries anymore.
Jaguares coach Gonzalo Quesada has already left to take over at Stade Francais and eight senior players have joined European clubs.
Back to club land
A handful of Waratah members who have been unable to get much time on the field this season are set to be released to their Shute Shield teams for the second half of Super Rugby AU.
Under the strict biosecurity arrangements in place, players are unable to compete in Shute Shield and train with their Super Rugby AU sides but with only four regular season games left, the Waratahs have released Joe Cotton (Southern Districts), Carlo Tizzano (West Harbour), Triston Reilly (Randwick), Henry Robertson (Sydney University) and 7s player Angus Bell (Sydney University).
At this stage the latest Queensland border shutdown will not impact Super Rugby AU teams because they remain exempt, but the rule does apply to the referees, so Sydney-based Angus Gardner will replace Damon Murphy in charge of Friday’s clash between the Rebels and Force at Leichhardt Oval.
Returning to grassroots
Former Wallabies skipper Ben Mowen is going back to where it all began for him in Queensland’s premier club competition.
Mowen, 35, hasn’t played a full season of Hospital Challenge Cup since the early 2000s but is strapping on the boots to rejoin Easts when the season kicks off on Saturday.
“It’s been a long time between drinks,” he said.
“Obviously pretty excited for the season. Like everyone, it’s been a long pre-season now and we’re ready to get into it.”
Postponed because of the lockdown just a week before the original start date in March, the nine-team competition will now be played over 11 rounds before a three-week finals series that culminates in the grand final on October 31.
For the first time, all nine clubs will also field teams in the women’s competition.
Sevens heaven
The postponement of the opening two rounds of the 2020-21 World Series Sevens in Dubai and Cape Town has opened the way for Australia’s champion women’s players to look for other opportunities.
Charlotte Caslick and Ellia Green have already agreed to play in NRLW while at least eight players, including Rio Olympic gold medallists Green (Warringah), Sharni Williams (Warringah), Rhiannon Byres (Randwick), Cassie Staples (Randwick) and Emma Tonegato (Southern Districts) will be turning out in the Jack Scott Cup, Sydney’s premier club competition for women.
The player that can make rugby forget about Suaalii loss
By Tim Horan
It’s not the end of the world for rugby if Joseph Suaalii decides to sign with league because there’s still plenty of time for him to return to union, but the challenge for our game is to show him what he’s missing.
Joseph still hasn’t made his decision yet and there’s going to be a lot of talk about whichever game he does choose, but he’s still so young that wherever he goes for the next couple of years may not be where he ends up.
The young player I’m more excited about watching right now is Jordan Petaia, who will be making his comeback for the Reds this weekend.
He’s our whiz kid that we’ve all been talking about for the last couple of years and he’s already demonstrated what he can do.
He went to the World Cup in Japan last year as a teenager and gave everyone a glimpse of his potential, scoring a try in his first appearance for the Wallabies and holding his own in a pressure-packed quarterfinal against England.
The key for him is to string some matches together, for a year or a year and half, because he’s had so many injury problems to deal with, but he’s a real athlete and he’s only going to get better.
His return couldn‘t come at a better time for Australian rugby because Saturday’s match between the Reds and the Brumbies is like a Wallaby trial.
From what I’ve seen so far, these two undefeated teams should provide up to 80 per cent of the Wallabies team this year, so it’s a great chance for Dave Rennie to sit down and really look at the different match-ups.
READ MORE:
Paul Kent: NRL risk as it considers South Sydney’s Joseph Suaalii exemption
Joseph Suaalii South Sydney debut: NRL could change rule for teen star
Michael Hooper says ‘Australian way’ of rugby isn’t working and playing ugly may be the answer
Brumbies young gun Tom Wright sends reminder to Rugby Australia he’s ready for the next step
It has all the ingredients of a mouth-watering clash but there’s a lot more at stake than just the competition points.
This match is really important for Australian rugby because both teams need to understand that they have a responsibility at the moment to really put on a cracking match.
We all know about the negotiations taking place between Australia and New Zealand about a possible trans-Tasman competition from next year so this is a chance for these teams to make a positive statement.
What we’ve been seeing in New Zealand every week is edge of the seat stuff. Every game over there has been entertainment plus because of the skill level and high pace of the way they’re playing.
In Australia, we’ve only been doing that in about every third match so it’s up to the Brumbies and the Reds to show how good Australian rugby is.
I know both teams want to win, but there’s really nothing to lose for both teams this weekend b
ecause this is a domestic comp, it’s not a Test match, so there’s not as much pressure.
Both teams have got the skills and players who are great strike weapons so I hope they go out and attack the way we know Australians teams can, by throwing caution to the wind and letting everyone know that we are a nation that can match it with New Zealand’s teams in a new Super competition.
Originally published as Rugby Confidential: Latrell Mitchell’s tip to Joseph Suaalii on whether to choose rugby or NRL
Rugby Australia fires back at NRL after poaching threat
Rugby Australia’s talent pipeline is under threat from the NRL’s hungry clubs, but the 15-man code has made a massive move to stave off the cashed-up suitors.
Heartbreaker! Rising stars of Waratahs, Reds rugby produce thriller
There was heartbreak for one and elation for the other. The annual battle between the Waratahs and Reds U15s had it all, including a match clinching last minute penalty.