- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Joseph Suaalii’s signature has changed the course of Australian rugby.
For the first time in years, the NRL is jumping up and down about the attack on its game. In reality, the NRL is turning on itself and ensuring rugby union gets all the more publicity and oxygen it craved.
Rugby Australia knew full well it would cause a stir in the NRL. It’s in part why they went so hard at luring over Suaalii across to the game.
Joseph Suaalii’s high-profile defection has rocked Australian sport. Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
Not everyone, including some within RA, was pleased that the governing body spent millions on signing Suaalii.
Some believed the money should have been spent on securing the next handful of Suaaliis and ensuring the current generation of stars were locked up leading into this so-called ‘golden generation’.
Others believed Suaalii was unproven in rugby and wasn’t quite the safe bet Israel Folau was on the field when he was lured over a decade ago.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones (C) poses alongside Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan (L) and CEO Andy Marinos (R) at Matraville Sports High School on January 31, 2023 in Sydney. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images
Meanwhile, some key stakeholders believed breaking the bank would also drive the players’ salaries up.
But, as many have said, sometimes you’ve got to invest to get a better return. RA’s kingmakers have ultimately determined that is the best strategy to get rugby back firing in Australia.
What the events of the past three months, which include sacking Dave Rennie to parachute Eddie Jones in as Wallabies coach on the eve of the World Cup, as well as Suaalii’s high-profile signature, have shown is that there has been a shift in who holds all the cards in Australian rugby.
Here are 25 people changing the face of Australian rugby.
25: Morgan Turinui –
Stan Sport’s major analyst and the Classic Wallabies’ general manager. Turinui is a respected voice by senior Rugby Australia figures and, indeed, Jones.
24: Nick Stiles –
Helped develop Taniela Tupou when the Tongan Thor first arrived in Queensland, now the Rebels GM must ensure he gets back on track and fulfills his potential when the tight-head prop joins the Melbourne-based franchise next year. Stiles also has a big role in harnessing rugby in Victoria.
23: Anthony Picone –
The Queensland Rugby Union have severed communication with the influential player agent. What’s the old saying? Keep your friends close and enemies closer.
22: Nick Frost –
Spent a couple of years learning from Sam Whitelock across the ditch. If Frost can become half the player Whitelock – the most reliable player in World Rugby – is, the Wallabies will win the championship minutes. Quick and tall, Frost, along with Mark Nawaqanitawase, was Australian rugby’s most improved player in 2022.
Australia coach Tim Walsh has the national women’s sevens side on track to make the gold medal match of the 2024 Olympics. Photo: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
21: Angus Bell –
Can become the Wallabies’ loose-head prop for the next decade if he manages to get his foot issues right. Bell’s season-ending injury in the first half of the opening match was a hammer blow for the Waratahs. Bell is a leader and could be a Wallabies captain in the years to come. Bell is an advocate for disability service and often spends time working as volunteer for What Ability.
20: Daniel Herbert –
The former World Cup-winner is on the Rugby Australian board and sits on the high-performance committee. Herbert spent years in Queensland’s administration and his voice is well respected. He often asks the questions people don’t want to hear.
19: Tim Walsh –
Australia’s only gold medal-winning head coach. Having won gold in 2016, Walsh is back with the women’s program and has them on track to feature prominently in Paris next year.
18: Josephine Sukkar –
Has single-handedly driven increased investment in women’s rugby for years until it was trendy. Sukkar is the Chair of the Australian Sports Commission and a fierce advocate for rugby in Australia.
Darren Coleman (R) must ensure the Waratahs are successful in Australian biggest state. Photo: Jenny Evans/Getty Images
17: Darren Coleman –
In charge of ensuring rugby in NSW succeeds and Allianz Stadium becomes increasingly full. Coleman represents the grassroots through and through. Australian rugby needs him to succeed as much he craves the game thriving, too.
16 – Dan McKellar
One moment the heir apparent to Dave Rennie, the next minute Steve Borthwick’s successor at Leicester. McKellar says he wants to return to coach the Wallabies one day, but also recognises nothing is guaranteed in life. McKellar will gain some valuable experience coaching one of English rugby’s giants in a team full of English stars.
Dan McKellar left the Wallabies to join one of English rugby’s biggest clubs. Photo: Jono Searle/Getty Images
15: Sam Cordingley –
Has managed to retain the bulk of Queensland’s players going forward. Cordingley has a huge job in ensuring the Reds get back to winning games and driving investment in Queensland rugby. Cordingley is one of the most clued-in general managers in Australian rugby.
14: Justin Harrison –
The Rugby Union Players’ Association boss, the former Wallabies lock holds one of the game’s most important roles. Harrison successfully got the Central Bargaining Agreement across the line. Well respected, Harrison’s influence could grow even further in time.
13: Maddison Levi –
The most exciting young talent in women’s rugby. Levi is already flexing her immense power on the women’s stage. She could develop into the face of women’s rugby. Along with her sister Teagen, the Levi girls are key players driving Australia’s women’s sevens team forward.
12: Phil Waugh –
A highly influential figure at Rugby Australia. Waugh sits on the high-performance committee for the governing body. One of a handful of figures who could become a future RA CEO.
11: Allan Alaalatoa –
A highly respected figure in the Wallabies. Alaalatoa is Wallabies captaincy material. He is respected by everyone in Australian rugby. No national team can make a run to the World Cup final without a strong tight-head prop.
Allan Alaalatoa could lead the Wallabies to the 2023 World Cup. Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images
10: Andy Marinos –
Rugby Australia chief executive. Marinos has a wealth of knowledge and has spent decades in the game both as an international player and administrator, having also been the general manager of South Africa Rugby Union and Super Rugby CEO.
9: Samu Kerevi –
International rugby is won and lost in the gain line battle. France lost to Ireland without Jonathan Danty and as soon as the No.12 returned, Les Bleus put a record score on England at Twickenham. If Kerevi can get back to full fitness, he could prove to be the most important figure in Jones’ World Cup plans.
8: Michael Hooper –
The Wallabies’ most capped captain. Hooper hasn’t had the success at international rugby he deserves. Still shapes as the most obvious player to wear the No.7 jersey at this year’s World Cup. Hooper has a key role in 2023 in ensuring the Wallabies’ momentum continues.
Charlotte Caslick is Australian rugby’s most influential rugby player. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images
7: Charlotte Caslick –
Rugby’s most influential women’s player, Caslick is the face of the women’s game in Australia. An Olympic gold medallist, she is arguably Australia’s best player and the protype of a player: great pass, strong over the ball, huge motor and defensively resilient. A must for the Wallaroos’ World Cup hopes in 2025.
6: Andrew Forrest –
Kept the Western Force afloat after they were culled from Super Rugby. Forrest’s future investment remains to be seen, but he could well decide to put his rich resources to use by bankrolling RA’s private equity plans. Remember those millions RA turned down in the years before COVID-19?
Andrew Forrest remains somewhat of a joker card in Australian rugby, with his rich resources not yet being tapped despite coming to the rescue of the Western Force. AAP Image/Richard Wainwright
5: Taniela Tupou –
The biggest highlights package in Australian rugby. Tupou’s retention was important and came with a huge asking price. While he doesn’t have the consistency as Alaalatoa, Tupou can change the course of a match. How he returns from an Achilles injury remains to be seen. It’s vital the Wallabies get the best out of him going forward. If they don’t, it will be a travesty and sum up Australian rugby’s past two decades.
Quade Cooper has not lost a Test since making his return from a four-year absence from the Wallabies in 2021. Photo: Matt Roberts/Getty Images
4: Quade Cooper –
Has there been a more controversial and maligned player in Australian rugby? Cooper has ridden the highs and experienced the lows of professional sport more than any other. The 2011 Super Rugby winner is a walking headline. Remarkably, he has won all six Tests since returning from a four-year absence in 2021. Likely Jones’ first-choice No.10, Cooper is on the comeback from an Achilles injury. This year’s World Cup will ultimately define Cooper’s legacy.
Joseph Suaalii will become Australian rugby’s highest paid player in 2025. Photo: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images
3: Joseph Suaalii –
The 19-year-old won’t play a game of rugby for another 18 months, but he will become Australian rugby’s highest paid player. RA has had more publicity than it has for years since Suaalii decided to put pen to paper late last month. He comes with a huge reputation. But as rugby league powerbroker Phil Gould says, every time his name is mentioned during an NRL game, it will put rugby union in the headlines. Suaalii has much to live up to, but he’s already paying divdends.
Rugby Australian chair Hamish McLennan will live and die by the sword. Photo: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images
2: Hamish McLennan –
The man calling the shots at Rugby Australia. McLennan was the key figure behind Jones’ return as Wallabies coach as well as Tupou’s retention and Suaalii’s recruitment. By his own admission, McLennan will live and die by the sword. Not afraid to make the big decision, McLennan has played more shots than any rugby administrator since John O’Neill. Having shaved through RA’s bloated office, he is also the man driving RA’s private equity bid. The proof will be in the pudding to see if his bet big strategy pays off, but he has ensured rugby has a beat in Australia.
Newly appointed Wallabies coach Eddie Jones poses during a press conference at Matraville Sports High School on January 31, 2023 in Sydney. Photo: Matt King/Getty Images
1: Eddie Jones –
The former Randwick hooker says he’s not the “messiah” of Australian rugby, but Jones’ return as Wallabies coach has got people talking again. If he can win back the Bledisloe Cup in the next two years and/or lead the Wallabies to a World Cup, Jones will go down as the single-most important figure in Australian rugby. Having been sacked as Wallabies coach in 2005, and England coach in 2022, it will also go down as rugby’s most remarkable tales.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.