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Rugby league identity Phil Gould wants Joseph Suaalii out of the code with immediate effect after the young Rooster decided to defect to rugby union.
Suaalii will join Rugby Australia in October 2024, but the former Origin coach turned media pundit and Canterbury general manager wants the teenage star to “go now”.
“Every time he scores a try, anything he does in our game, people are going to refer to the fact that he’s going to rugby,” Gould said on Nine’s 100% Footy.
“Why do we need that? Go now. You made your decision. Go now. Go now. Go now. Don’t let the door hit you on the arse on the way out. See ya later. Gone. He’s made his decision.
“He signed a contract for rugby 18 months before his rugby league contract ends,” Gould added.
“You can’t sign with any other rugby league club in that time; he can only sign with rugby.
“He’s made his decision.
“I’ve got nothing against the kid, I’ve loved having him in rugby (league), he is a tremendous athlete, great for the game.
“But he’s decided to be a rugby player.
“Bye-bye. Off you go.”
“As a code, I’m happy for him to go now. Go now. Go now.”
Blues coach Brad Fittler said over the weekend that Suaalii would be considered for a spot in the outside backs. He faces stiff competition with James Tedesco, Tom Trbojevic, Latrell Mitchell, Josh Addo-Carr, Daniel Tupou, Brian To’o and Jack Wighton likely ahead of him on the pecking order.
“I wouldn’t pick him but I can understand the attraction of having him in the side,” Gould said. “He’s playing rugby league at the moment, he probably should be eligible but for me, he’s gone. He’s gone to rugby, he’s made his decision. I’m happy for him to go now.”
Former Wallaby and Stan pundit Morgan Turinui has meanwhile responded to Roosters star Brandon Smith, who said spending big money on Suaalii wouldn’t help the Wallabies beat the All Blacks.
“Brandon Smith opens his mouth and confirms what we’ve always thought of him,” Turinui said on Stan Sport’s Between Two Posts.
“The old saying, attributed to the (Abraham) Lincolns and Mark Twains, ‘if you’re a fool and you keep your mouth shut, you’re probably better off than opening your mouth and confirming to everyone that you are.’ Like, let’s be frank – Jason Robinson wins a World Cup with England, league convert, Lote Tuqiri is outstanding, league convert, Dell (Wendell Sailor) does well, (Mat) Rogers does well, league converts have done well.
“They’ve been successful against the All Blacks or whoever it is. Joseph Suaalii is a fine footballer who will make the Wallabies better.”
Turinui also took exception to claims that the money would be better spent at grassroots level.
“I don’t think it’s as simple as ‘let’s steal this money off the kids and put it over there.’ We’re not saying Brandon Smith’s $600,000 contract is taking money off the Paddo colts. So why is it different in rugby?”
Former World Cup captain Stirling Mortlock has questioned Rugby Australia’s multi-million-dollar investment in Suaalii, believing the money could have been better spent elsewhere.
While Mortlock accepts Suaalii’s class can’t be doubted, the ex-Bledisloe Cup hero has been left bewildered by the eye-watering contract offered to the teenager, reported at $1.6 million a season from late 2024 until 2027.
Like Suaalii, Mortlock is a King’s School alumni and knows what RA is acquiring in the code-hopping prodigy.
“Look, there’s no doubt he’s a weapon. Even when he was playing under-16s, you could see he was a freakish talent and a class above the others,” Mortlock told AAP.
“But $1.6 million per annum? That could have kept 19 or 20 other players in the system.”
Mortlock isn’t the only sceptic regarding RA’s coup.
Joseph Suaalii warms up during a New South Wales Blues State of Origin squad training session at Coogee Oval on May 31, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
The 19-year-old’s signing announcement coincided with Friday’s 50th anniversary of the first Australian schoolboys tour and was a hot topic of conversation at the charity luncheon marking the occasion.
Other players privately wondered whether snaring Suaalii at seemingly any cost was as much a power play for RA in its ongoing battle with the NRL as a recruitment strike.
However, RA’s finances will soon be recharged, with the organisation on the cusp of a historic private equity deal that will be felt at all levels of the game.
Suaalii’s commitment will effectively add value to that transaction, while his signing has again launched the code into the headlines, just as Eddie Jones’ coaching return did in January.
Cutting out the “stupid” penalties remains on top of the Queensland Reds’ to-do list after another frustrating loss set the tone for their moment-of-truth clash with the Crusaders.
The Reds were beaten 40-34 by the Melbourne Rebels on Saturday, dropping to 2-3 ahead of Friday’s date with the defending champions in Brisbane.
James O’Connor was lining up a late conversion from the sideline that would have put them in front.
But he never got the chance, the try disallowed when replays showed Ryan Smith needlessly holding back a defender that was unlikely to tackle try-scorer Tate McDermott.
But a 9-2 penalty count against the visitors in the first half was just as damning, flanker Fraser McReight still frustrated when addressing the performance on Monday.
“I don’t think he was that filthy,” McReight said of how McDermott reacted to Smith’s unnecessary act.
“We should have iced the game a lot earlier; it’s tough to let one incident with a minute to go be the result of the game.
“To me, that’s not a standout incident. Yeah, it drew criticism, was a big talking point. But at half-time the penalty count was 11-2 (sic).
“Why are we doing that in the first place?”
The Reds were the most penalised Super Rugby Pacific team last season but McReight said they only had themselves to blame if the “50-50” decisions weren’t going their way.
“A lot of the penalties have just been stupid and totally in our control,” he said.
“If we’re able to eradicate those stupid penalties on our end, it makes it a lot easier for refs to make those 50-50 calls land on our side.
“There needs to be an onus and accountability from the playing group; it can’t just be an elephant in the room.”
McReight knows a response against the Crusaders, who have lost games to the Chiefs and Fijian Drua this season, would serve two purposes in a World Cup year.
“It’s an opportunity to stamp their jersey and their worth,” McReight said of playing the Crusaders.
“We haven’t had that, ‘You know what? We’re proud of the performance’ … We haven’t had that yet and it’s the perfect opportunity.
“That’s in the forefront of mind, compared to the Wallabies but if we can do that it’s going to be a domino effect of it.
“They are the world’s best and we do want to win. Imagine if we knock them off, what’s everyone going to say?”
The task will be made tougher with Wallabies centre Hunter Paisami likely to miss at least one month with a knee injury, although Angus Blyth (ankle) could return.
Meanwhile Nine News reports that the Reds are set to announce a two-year extension for Tom Lynagh after his impressive start to the season.
Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg has announced he will retire from rugby after the World Cup in France.
Hogg, who turns 31 in June, recently earned his 100th cap and has scored 171 international points.
“I don’t feel my body can achieve the standards that I set myself for much longer,” Hogg said.
“I’ve always wanted to finish at the top end of the game. After the tournament, a new career beckons and I will attack it in the same manner as I play the game.”
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