There was one question Hamish McLennan had to consider before opening up the chequebook and luring back Joseph Suaalii: was Israel Folau a success in rugby?
Up until his ugly exit from Rugby Australia, the answer was an overwhelming yes.
Was he the saviour of the game? Absolutely not. But what Folau did was bring star power back to the game. He became the face of Australian rugby.
The moment he rejected the Parramatta Eels and sat next to Michael Cheika in Sydney in December, 2012, the game changed. A pulse returned to Australian rugby.
And while the Wallabies didn’t always win, he was regularly one of the few in Australia’s team that was in the reckoning for a World XV. Not bad for a bloke who had no background in the game.
When the Wallabies were smashed at Eden Park, it was Folau who often scored. Ditto at Twickenham, where he scored a double in his final match in gold.
In half a career, he became Super Rugby’s greatest try scorer, and the best in the world under the high ball.
Nor was Folau a magician on the field. Indeed, he was an imperfect fullback. Flawed in many ways; Folau couldn’t kick and struggled to pass.
By contrast, Suaalii was on the radar of every oval-shaped ball watcher when he was in year 10.
As a 15-year-old, he wowed the Australian Sevens team and Sydney Swans great Nick Davis.
Of course, every step of his burgeoning career has been traced since and his move from the Rabbitohs pathway to archrivals the Roosters has been well publicised.
But, importantly, Suaalii has a background in rugby.
He might not have run out in a State of Origin game yet – something Folau had achieved at the same age – but it’s a matter of when not if.
In his first full season as an NRL player, Suaalii was included in the NSW Blues’ wider squad and was on standby if anyone went down.
Greg Alexander, one of the smartest brains in rugby league and a former Origin great, said it wasn’t his two tries against the Parramatta Eels last year that convinced him he was ready but his toughness.
“He is a special talent and it’s not the fantastic things that made Freddy (NSW coach Brad Fittler) and I and the rest of the coaching staff think he was ready for Origin footy, it’s how tough he is,” Alexander said.
“I watched the Magic Round game where the Roosters took on the Eels… the Roosters received the ball from the kick-off with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves taking the hit-up.
“Joseph Suaalii took play two into the teeth of the Parramatta pack.
“He crashed into Junior (Paulo) and Reagan (Campbell-Gillard) and still got the ball away.
“So he’s a tough young boy and very talented.”
He’s not just tough, he’s brilliant in the air.
Just ask Nick Malouf, the current Australian Sevens captain who came off second best during a kick restart when Suaalii was a 15-year-old.
“He sat me down, won it and I got up thinking, ‘what the hell just happened there.’ He’s incredible,” Malouf told The Roar.
Folau started on the wing for the Waratahs when Cheika lured him over.
Six months later he wowed the world by scoring a first-half double against the British and Irish Lions and along the way left Johnny Sexton – the 2018 World Rugby player of the year – clutching at thin air.
Phil Kearns declared: “Have you ever seen a better debut? Ever!”
During a generation of disappointment, Folau was one of the few players respected worldwide and was a household name in Australia in much the same way Brian O’Driscoll carried Ireland.
Suaalii can have the same devastating impact as Folau.
He is three centimetres taller than Folau at 196cm and, with years still to grow into his body, is almost 100kg.
No international team can win without a strong forward pack, but after the recent retention of Angus Bell, Taniela Tupou and Allan Alaalatoa, Suaalii can offer the Wallabies a point of difference.
It is why McLennan and Eddie Jones went all in on the teenage prodigy.
Importantly, too, with a Waratahs backline featuring Suaalii, Max Jorgensen and Mark Nawaqanitawase, Super Rugby will once again become a product Australia’s biggest state can get behind.
After all, Australian sport is in the show business.
Rugby Australia just landed its biggest cast member.
frisky
Roar Rookie
Dumping for Falau was the biggest mistake rugby has ever made. He is still the highest try scorer in super Rugby, despite the fact, his career was terminated many years prematurely.
Brendan NH Fan
Roar Rookie
They were indeed. Even in 2006 the average was 24k but they stopped reporting it so we don't know what it is now. Bulls as an example in 2015 was still as high as 26k but by 2017 dropped to 9k. This year Tahs had 25k v Brumbies but we have no idea if that is good or bad. To go back to the Bulls they got their highest attendance since 2009 SR final recently. As long as SR hide attendances they can't big up the wins like the Tahs home game and harder to build a buzz of the product growing.
MO
Roar Rookie
Fair enough TC but someone invented the Lebanon national team and I don’t think it was mitchell Moses.
SDRedsFan
Roar Rookie
I reckon RA would be better off paying Channel 9 $1.6m (or whatever it takes) to put the Super Rugby games on free-to-air channels to get more "transient" viewers watching.
Bentnuc
Roar Pro
Ah yeh fair enough. 10 out of 37 in the squad is very home grown in this current worlds sporting landscape. Shows what good coaching and tactics can do.
Sage
Roar Rookie
I don't think it's happened because he's a well known superstar and that's apart from the fact that he's.....not. To me it's getting attention by grabbing a very young potential "freak" player (as is the word) with a rugby background from under the noses of the NRL and inducing buffoons like Gus Gould to have conniptions and getting lots of lovely media exposure in a WC year. And then there's the "freak" player potential bit too and seeing how his star rises in the shorter term and how that then translates to the WB's = hopefully more exposure, more winning, more bums on seats. It's a bit of a Hollywood script actually and it may have a sad ending. Or not
Malotru
Roar Rookie
Potential means diddly unless the person realises that potential.
Gus O
Roar Rookie
I understand the rugby league international eligibility rules and why they are what they are. I don’t know what the international eligibility rules are for rugby union. But it’s more a query about the young man’s attitude, having made such a public song and dance about his Samoan heritage only 3 months ago.
fiwiboy7042
Roar Rookie
Toni Carroll, Jason Taumalolo, Malakai Fekitoa or Brad Thorn ring a bell? It happens.
Gus O
Roar Rookie
The Wayne Bennett expression was “you pay for performance, not potential”.
Gus O
Roar Rookie
Sualii is obviously a gifted young athlete. However he played for Samoa in the recent rugby league world cup, and was outspoken about connecting with his Samoan heritage. He was feted in Samoa immediately after the world cup, see: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/hail-to-the-chief-why-suaalii-was-granted-samoan-honour-20230110-p5cbhw.html Good luck to him, but I don’t understand how a Samoan international rugby league player switches to rugby union to play for Australia.
TC
Roar Rookie
MO we can have a different opinion on Who was pushing to play for their Heritage..For me it started with JT picking Tonga over NZ after that 10 million from the Cowboys, a few followed him and they were regularly beating Samoa, setting off a Chain reaction with the Samoans. I don't believe it was driven at a higher level..Just my opinion..TT without injuries could have been in Imortal Conversation..Again just my opinion
Doctordbx
Roar Rookie
Just lie back and think of England?
Old One Eye
Roar Rookie
Hopefully he can bring a tight 5 with him, that's what the Waratahs need.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
I’d been reading grob.
Derek Murray
Roar Rookie
I hated the moaning
Don
Roar Rookie
Here’s 5 more. Rob Herring Finlay Bealham Roman Salanoa Kieran Treadwell Jamison Gibson – Park
Hugh_96
Roar Pro
I wouldn’t have an issue with who he played for, even as a Tahs supporter. The reality is he will only be 21 when he comes across, so am guessing still living with his family.
Highlander
Roar Guru
1. You won’t find that anywhere except speculation 2. Yesterday Christy posted this is RA money
Doctordbx
Roar Rookie
But he did. He did nothing in Super Rugby that was worthy of selection and Jones wasn't the coach then either. And yet he got his chance in a Wallaby Jersey... And then he complained about the coach. Most underserved Wallaby of all time and did not work for it at all. So how did he get it?