Joseph Suaalii has lived up to the hype with his skill and athleticism this season but it’s the toughness he’s displayed mixing it with the NRL’s elite that has him in line for a Kangaroos berth at the World Cup.
Suaalii’s tough carries and strong defence have caught the eye of the Kangaroos coaching staff and with a 40-man squad to be selected after the final round, he is sure to be one of the names on the list.
And when the squad gets culled to 24 at the end of the finals series for the tournament in the UK, he is firming to be the youngest player in the green and gold touring party.
The Kangaroos, named after an animal chosen on the national arms because it cannot take a backward step, are renowned for wanting players with toughness and aggression in their DNA. Suaalii hasn’t taken a backward step in his first full season when older opponents have tried to intimidate him.
Suaalii received a special exemption to play in the NRL last year before his 18th birthday and after five games, his rookie season was cut short by a foot injury.
Joseph Suaalii is roughed up by the Bulldogs. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
There were a few questions at the start of this year about if and when he would deliver on his enormous potential and he hasn’t disappointed, scoring 14 tries in 17 games to mount a strong case for a Kangaroos debut.
With Origin wingers Brian To’o and Daniel Tupou declaring for Samoa and Tonga respectively, there are vacancies on the flanks and the Roosters teenager, who only turned 19 at the start of this month, has one foot on the plane.
With the sixth-placed Tricolours riding high on a six-game winning streak to be on the verge of sealing a spot in the playoffs, potentially as high as an unlikely top-four berth if they can upset Melbourne at AAMI Park on Friday night, Suaalii should have a golden opportunity on the finals stage in September to book his ticket to the Cup.
His club coach, Trent Robinson, believes the young graduate of The King’s School at Parramatta is ready for the international arena when Mal Meninga’s Australia side mounts its World Cup trophy defence.
He was given a glimpse of rep footy as part of the NSW Origin extended squad this season and also has the option of representing Samoa.
“I think Joey’s form speaks for himself,” Robinson said at the Roosters’ captain’s run media conference on Thursday afternoon.
“His ability to attack all the different roles that’s needed as a winger but then also finish with the class moments, which as a young guy, his finishing of tries but also his saving of tries, I think that’s been a highlight for the way that he’s played the game.
“These games are really key. I think these games away from home, these moments, I think Mal will be looking at these opportunities to see what kind of a player he is, at this time of the year.”
“I think he’s defied age in the way that he’s gone about playing the game and the confidence that he’s played with so if Mal thinks he’s ready, then so do I.”
His 14-try haul for the season places him equal-sixth in the NRL and at the top of the Roosters’ pecking order alongside Tupou.
One of the features of his play has been his willingness to go in search of the ball – some wingers, particularly teenaged ones who are yet to fill out their frames, have a tendency to avoid the dirty work.
But Suaalii doesn’t shirk the hard yards and his average of 21 possessions per game is shaded only by To’o among specialist wingers this season.
Sione Mata’utia broke the record for youngest Kangaroo when the Knights winger made his Test debut at 18 years and 129 days in 2014.
He only played have two more matches in green and gold during that Four Nations campaign and Australia have since been reluctant to pick teenagers.
Broncos prop Payne Haas, who was a few weeks shy of his 20th birthday when he played twice at the end of 2019 before international football shut down due to the pandemic, is the only other teenager picked for Tests since Mata’utia.
There are no concerns about Suaalii being thrown into the international deep end too early.
When you’re a smidgeon under two metres tall, the deep end should hold no fears.
Sione Mata’utia scores for Australia in 2014. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
While Robinson was happy to talk up his young winger’s international prospects, his immediate focus is their AAMI Park assignment against another team riding a late-season wave.
While the Roosters slumped to 10th before their resurgence, the Storm steadied their top-four aspirations/expectations with four wins on the bounce after dropped from second to fifth in the space of three weeks.
Robinson has confirmed props Siosiua Taukeiaho (cheekbone) and Lindsay Collins (concussion) would make their timely returns from the interchange.
(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Collins was a particular concern after he copped two heavy head knocks in Origin III and on club duty last month but Robinson said “he’s been good for four weeks but we decided to take that extra time”.
“It’s about allowing the guys to go and play and feel confident to play. You don’t want to have that (concussion fear) in the back of your mind.”
In the Storm camp, coach Craig Bellamy for the second week in a row was fending off questions about the future of star five-eighth/stealth fullback Cameron Munster.
Melbourne are hopeful of extending Munster’s tenure before the November 1 deadline when other clubs, including the cashed-up Dolphins, are able to table multimillion-dollar offers for his services.
Cameron Munster. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)
“I don’t really know the dollars and cents. I’m just leaving Cameron alone on that now. I’ve had a couple of chats with him and I don’t want to put any pressure on him, especially now we’re getting to the business end of the year,” Bellamy said. “So he’ll make a decision on what’s best for him.
“Obviously for me that decision is staying here but like I said he’ll have to make his mind up on that. He’s obviously been an immense part of our club for a fair while now so hopefully he sees himself fit to stay.
“Whatever happens, he’s here next year as well.”
He was more concerned with “a couple of players” that he wouldn’t name who have not been able to train during “quite an important week for us” but will be right to play.
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