7 days ago
The 21-year-old Wallabies star who people think can 'save rugby union'
EVEN THE MOST anti-rugby union Aussies like talking about Joey Suaalii.
His old rugby league team, the Sydney Roosters, lost in the NRL last weekend and one sports radio host had a simple solution.
'They need to bring Joey back from rugby, maaaate,' he drawled. 'I don't watch rugby anymore, too much TMO.'
Still only 21, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is a superstar. Good-looking, athletic, and likeable, he became the poster boy for rugby union overnight when he switched codes last year.
Wallabies centre Suaalii was the star of last week's edition of GQ Hype. 'Can Joseph Suaalii save rugby union?' read the headline. No pressure.
He's part of a rap group called Dreamyourz along with fellow league convert Joey Manu. The verse Suaalii raps on their song We Rock the Party channels the Spice Girls. His dress sense is slick, with that GQ piece featuring photos of him kitted out in Louis Vuitton gear. But Suaalii doesn't come across as showy. He's just a young lad enjoying himself.
Suaalii recently 'soft-launched' his relationship with netball player Audrey Little, the daughter of former Wallabies centre Jason Little. This was gold for the gossip columns in Australia.
Perhaps most importantly, Suaalii is excellent at rugby. Both codes. He was also good enough at basketball and AFL to represent New South Wales in those sports as a teenager. Suaalii once broke a regional high jump record when he was a kid.
This is a young man who clicks the turnstiles, as the Aussies say.
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That's why Rugby Australia dished out the big bucks to bring Suaalii across from rugby league last year. It has been reported here that Suaalii signed a deal worth around $5.35 million [€3 million] to take him through to the 2027 World Cup. The Australian union was criticised for that outlay in some quarters but they suggest that Suaalii's presence will generate multiples of that figure in publicity. It certainly does seem as if his switch to union has brought curious eyes back onto the 15-man code.
Suaalii stormed onto the rugby league scene as a teen sensation. He got an early taste of what it means to make a big switch. Initially, he was with the South Sydney Rabbitohs before their rivals, the Sydney Roosters, lured him across town in 2021.
Suaalii was a star for the Sydney Roosters. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo
The Roosters had to apply for an exemption so Suaalii could make his NRL debut before he turned 18. He stepped up with composure and class. Although he's a native of Penrith, west of Sydney, the young back decided to play international league for Samoa.
That's his father's native land. Suaalii's mother has Cambodian ancestry. Like most Australians, he has a proud connection with those roots. One of eight siblings, Suaalii is very much a family man. He says he has never had even a sip of alcohol due to the influence of his parents.
Now, many Wallabies fans are hoping Suaalii can be the key man as they aim to upset the Lions in their upcoming series. The Aussie fans can't take their eyes off him and it's not difficult to understand why. One of the reasons for visiting Newcastle last weekend was to see Suaalii play for the Wallabies against Fiji.
There is a magnetism about Suaalii. He is a beautiful human specimen, 6ft 5ins tall and somewhere around 100kg of lean mass. He wears his socks low and his shorts high, showing off his long, explosive legs.
Suaalii comes out for his pre-match routine barefoot and does 'grounding' work and breathing exercises, a beacon of calm amid the energy. He grabs three tennis balls and proceeds to juggle flawlessly. This is a big game for Suaalii as he makes his return from eight weeks out of action because of a jaw fracture.
When the action kicks off, Suaalii makes a few errors. Twice, he carries the ball when he should pass to men in space outside him. The young centre is still honing those decision-making instincts. He played rugby union in school, so this code is not new, but the highest level of union is.
One of his passes goes to ground but then bounces up to the intended recipient, while he is stripped of the ball in contact on another occasion.
He makes some good tackles in defence, stretching to snag flying wing Jiuta Wainiqolo when it looks like the Fijian could launch a breakout from under his posts. Suaalii seems confident in making reads from the number 13 shirt, which is notoriously difficult.
Suaalii can jump very high. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo
Overall, Suaalii doesn't have a major impact on the game. He has the fewest touches of any of the Australian backs, with the Wallabies' playmakers repeatedly passing out the back of his hard running lines, even when it appears to be on to hit him at the front door.
The Wallabies don't send Suaalii into any aerial contests despite him being perhaps the best aerial player in rugby union. His leaping power is quite extraordinary, almost surreal to see at times. There is more than a passing resemblence to peak Isreal Folau in this area.
Suaalii made a massive impact on his rugby union debut for the Wallabies against England last autumn, partly because of his jumping ability. They sent him after their restarts and Suaalii was able to get over Maro Itoje even when the English lock was being lifted.
Ireland did a good job of managing Suaalii's restart threat when the Wallabies subsequently visited Dublin, but it took lots of planning and some clever work on the fly as the Aussies switched up their approach during the game.
One can only conclude that the Wallabies didn't fully unleash Suaalii on the ball or in the air against Fiji because they're holding his best stuff back for the big show next weekend in Brisbane. Despite playing at fullback for the Waratahs in Super Rugby this season, Suaalii will almost certainly be in the Wallabies' number 13 shirt.
Andy Farrell was asked the other day how much the Lions have been keeping back.
'The same amount as Australia,' he replied, 'probably quite a bit.'
The Lions know Suaalii is coming. And the Australian public will be watching him closely.
