The NRL’s assault on Las Vegas begins in earnest this week as the eyes of the rugby league world turn to the season openers at Allegiant Stadium – and there has been plenty of chatter about the players who might be adapt to the US’s native footy.
One of the strongest links is Roosters back Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, himself no stranger to a code switch given that he will join rugby union at the end of this season, with former NFL player Colin Scotts declaring that the Samoa international will be tracked closely by American Football scouts.
“If America gets a sniff of Joseph, there’s no doubt they will put out a big contract for him,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
“Joseph has absolutely raw talent.
“Look at Kelce in the Super Bowl. Suaalii is definitely in that same mould – six-foot-five, six-foot-six – they are both co-ordinated with great ball skills and attitude, and what I love about Joseph, he’s really strong in defence…I’m sure the American scouts will be looking at him, definitely. Rugby league has caught the imagination of America.
“He could easily grab $10m per season if he succeeded in the NFL.
“The way Joseph can jump in the air is something the Americans love. He is one of those God-given athletes who can jump really high. It’s one of the biggest tests they do, the vertical leap. He would rip that.
“He goes looking for it, he’s very aggressive and marketable – he ticks all the boxes to become an NFL player. They’ll be looking at him.”
Another, perhaps less qualified judge is Channel 9 presenter Karl Stefanovic, who tipped Reece Walsh from his beloved Broncos to steal American hearts.
“You can quote me on this … Reece Walsh is the guy most likely to light up the US agents come Sunday,” he told the Courier-Mail.
“It’s super hard to transition to the NFL, but Walsh has got it. And he’s young enough.”
Stefanovic was speaking as part of an announcement that he has invested in ‘NRL America’, a proposed professional comp in the States.
“I’ve bought into the concept with my personal Brisbane lawyer Daniel Hannay,” said the Today Show star.
“He rang me (about the US Super League concept) and I said, ‘Yes’ in a heartbeat.
“I’ll do anything to promote the greatest game in the world. Peter V’landys is a genius … this concept will work.”
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Dolphins look beyond Bennett
Life after Wayne Bennett has often been fraught with pitfalls at NRL clubs but chief executive Terry Reader insists the Dolphins are positioned to prosper after the great coach has gone.
The 74-year-old Bennett will lead the Dolphins for the final season in 2024 before handing over to his assistant Kristian Woolf.
Mal Meninga once referred to the task of taking over from Bennett as an NRL coach as “a poisoned chalice”.
Teams Bennett has left in the past have often initially failed. That was the case with St George Illawarra, Newcastle, and after his second tenure in Brisbane.
In his last season at the Broncos, in 2018, Bennett blooded a suite of youngsters including Payne Haas and Kotoni Staggs and made the finals. Two years later under Anthony Seibold they collected the wooden spoon.
Clubs have often struggled when great players have retired. Newcastle’s Andrew Johns, and Brisbane’s Allan Langer and Darren Lockyer left massive holes.
Bennett, a seven-time premiership winner, is one of the most successful coaches of all-time and he too will leave a void.
Every situation is different, but Reader said the Dolphins were positioned to handle post-Bennett life due to the looming seamless transition to his decorated assistant Woolf.
“The biggest difference with us is that when we made Wayne inaugural head coach the plan for his succession was what he wanted and what the club wanted,” Reader told AAP.
“He was involved with the appointment of Kristian as his main assistant coach initially, and also that he would take over in 2025 for three years.
“That gave our club instant stability and credibility.”
Reader said Woolf had options to coach elsewhere as a head coach in the NRL in 2023 and 2024 but decided to back the Dolphins’ vision for the future.
“Kristian had just won three Super League premierships with St Helens and turned Tonga into a global force,” Reader said.
“It says a lot about Kristian that he said he saw working under Wayne for two seasons as the final part of his apprenticeship.
“He knows what is involved as a head coach and he’s been a successful head coach. That is what sets us up for life after Wayne, compared to some of the other clubs that have been mentioned.
“From the moment we won the NRL licence we set up our academies and pathways underneath.
“Kristian really dug into all of that before he signed on with us. He is a big believer, like Wayne, that the top doesn’t work unless you have got the bottom sorted out.”
The Dolphins still have Bennett for the 2024 season and there is an option for him to continue with the club in another role in 2025 and beyond if he does not take up a head coaching position elsewhere.
Reader said the recruitment and retention of quality players beyond Bennett’s tenure was fundamental in securing the club’s long-term viability.
Future Dolphins captain and Queensland forward Tom Gilbert last year inked an extension that keeps him at the club until the end of 2028.
Fullback and Maroons outside back Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow signed a five-year deal until the end of 2028.
This season the Dolphins have also recruited shrewdly with England international centre Herbie Farnworth joining the club from Brisbane until the end of 2026.
Maroons prop and former Broncos enforcer Thomas Flegler inked a four-year deal while centre Jack Averillo, Canterbury’s leading try scorer in 2023, is on deck until the conclusion of the 2026 season.
The new recruits have given the Dolphins confidence they can improve on their 13th-placed finish of 2023.
Although Bennett could be coaching another NRL franchise in future years, he has been proactive in helping the club build a formidable roster in the seasons ahead.
“The key to all of that is that Wayne was involved in signing contracts for players who in most cases will be playing here after he finishes as a head coach,” Reader said.
“Everything Wayne has done with us was to set the club up not just for 2023 or this year but well into the future. We still hope Wayne will be involved in some capacity next year.
“When you look at the players we have re-signed and recruited they all did so knowing that they would have Wayne as coach initially, and then Kristian after that.”
mushi
Roar Guru
But the safety is the defensive back that needs the least speed? Linebacker they're all on the small side so they'd need to be faster, read the game better and have great block shedding techniques. As I said above tackling takes a back seat to being able to get in a position to make a tackle. You're better off investing in someone who minimises the amount of times they've breached the line than can mop it up. Because you're still losing if they're always moping up.
Albo
Roar Rookie
Not the safeties as they need speed more than anything. I'm thinking of the linebackers (behind the defensive line) and defensive backs (secondaries) to stop the offensive running backs that breach the defensive line. I'm a Chiefs fan and though they got another Super Bowl this year, I couldn't believe how poor they were in those positions especially with one on one tackling.
mushi
Roar Guru
As what, as slow safeties? Whilst tackling is a deprioritised skill there's probably a reason for that in getting to the ball carrier is the critical part.
KenW
Roar Rookie
Hayne did play regular season NFL games though, didn't he? I seem to remember he actually had some good moments while running but dropped a few catches - which they are very unforgiving on - and got dropped to the reserves. He then had to hurry back to Australia for off-field reasons... Anyway I suppose my point it, even at 27 Hayne did get there and was perhaps only a few held catches from settling in, legal troubles aside.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
Lots of players may think that they can make it in the NFL. Few can , especially if they haven’t come through a college system & even earlier playing the game. Walsh has exceptional skills playing in the NRL, but I just wonder what position he’d be playing in the NFL? He’s no running back , just doesn’t have the size. Could he be a Tyreek Hill type of receiver? Possibly, but learning all the plays , catching the quarterback passes , being in the right position for each play wouldn’t come that easily. For someone that’s never played the game. So the jury would still be out on whether he could do that job, if ever given that chance.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
They aim the helmets at the opposition runners legs & knees. Quite legally. Ouch!
mushi
Roar Guru
Mailata plays a size position which also makes him an outlier as there’s only so many people that meet the threshold so the pool of competition is different to skill positions. Tackle is littered with “he didn’t start playing until” stories because often you don’t know someone will be an agile 150kg long armed guy until they’re older. It’s like centres in basketball. As a 6’4″ guy picking up a ball at 18 is to grasp a future of a fun social sport. But at 7′ your potentially the Dream.
mushi
Roar Guru
Once had a foreign colleague who spoke fluent English who couldn't understand why I was grabbing flour for my wife for a baking competition. He thought she was putting flowers in the cake. Took ages for us to figure out why he was confused.
Mainlander
Roar Rookie
The smart thing for any future US RL organisation would be just to call itself "Rugby" and not use the word League. And try to just dominate the other code out of existence
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I teach English as a second language so know exactly what you're talking about when it comes to being a minefield language. There are so many things that are so hard to explain.
jamesb
Roar Guru
Ideally if someone wants to embark on an NFL career, they would begin much earlier than 20 or 21. Walsh and Suaali’i are up against players who have played it all of their lives. But they can make it, just like Mailata. But it is far from a sure thing.
Albo
Roar Rookie
I tend to agree that the NRL scouts should be looking at importing some US talent that falls short of the NFL level. However, I wouldn't completely discount some NRL interest for some NFL Clubs. I particularly think that there could be some interest in some of our better tacklers for their defensive teams. Many of the NFL defenders are quite ordinary at one on one tackling. I would suggest a Cam Murray, Liam Martin or a Victor Radley type might be of interest to NFL defensive co-ordinators ?
mushi
Roar Guru
I'm sure they do, because they're assuming it's like American football. Same reason we keep saying the sissy's don't wear pads. I like it to an English speaker complaining about a language that has gendered nouns not realising english is a mine field of a language.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
There's a story floating around today from Fox Sports where Rob Gronkowski is looking at some NRL highlights from last season and he made the comment that he couldn't believe the NRL players weren't wearing pads. I've herd other quality NFL players say exactly the same thing over the years. As for NRL guys doing NFL plays without pads, there's no question gridiron is a far more violent type of football, so much so they've had to limit the amount of contact training players can do.
Nat
Roar Guru
The fact he isn’t so highly skilled in either codes as yet could work to his advantage in NFL. No rugby habits they have to train out of him (running styles etc). Agree it is a a very slim chance of success (isn’t it only 0.1% of college kids make it?) but if someone offers you a chance to trial I would take it. The kid is a freak athlete waiting for someone to mould him.
Nat
Roar Guru
Sure but the article refers to Walsh and Suaali’i who are 21 & 20 respectively.
mushi
Roar Guru
Not sure what you mean? As in their guys "can't believe they don't have pads?" In which fair enough because they're using their own experience. But throw 22 NRL players put there and run one full contact american football running play without pads and you'll have blood everywhere.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Completely agree. I saw a clip with Jordan Mailata and he was saying the pads are next to useless of you get hit by a helmet or have to repeatedly try and wear down an opposing lineman. Still doesn't stop most NFL players, who see the sorts of hits NRL guys make/take, from wanting their pads though.
astro
Roar Rookie
The worst part of the NRL being in Vegas is this kind of nonsense. 1.6 percent of college players will become a professional in the NFL...The size of the talent pool who train and play everyday to make an NFL roster and don't succeed, is hard for us to fathom in Australia. If anything, NRL clubs should be looking at college players who don't make the NFL, and seeing if any of them can play league, not the other way around. Just accept that NRL players are great at playing league, and leave it at that.
mushi
Roar Guru
The pads aren't the panacea you might think they are.