"I'm sure he'd go well in union, so in short, yeah we'd be happy with it." I haven't seen him play union yet so, you know, that stuff's really out of my control, but he looks like a great athlete,' Gordon said. "I've seen him play league, he's pretty athletic. Speaking on Thursday, Waratahs captain Gordon said he wasn't making too much of the recent reports, but admitted he liked what he had seen of Suaali'i's performances with the Roosters. Joseph Suaali'i is constantly linked with a switch to rugby, and is only contracted with the Roosters through 2024 Mark Kolbe/Getty Images Suaali'i was raised in western Sydney, again just like Folau. Folau and RA later settled their dispute for an undisclosed fee.įolau also starred for the Waratahs in Super Rugby, which is understood to be Suaali'i's likely destination if he does in fact switch codes. However, the now-Tonga representative's career came to a sudden and ugly halt when his Rugby Australia contract was torn up for multiple anti-gay social media posts. Suaali'i has signed a succession of one-year deals with Sydney Roosters in the NRL, and recently agreed to the one-year option to stay at the powerhouse rugby league club for 2024.īut a report in the Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday revealed Rugby Australia bosses were closing in on a deal with the teenager that would see him switch codes in time for the British & Irish Lions series in 2025, putting him on the same course as Folau when he left GWS Giants in 2013 after a failed AFL stint.įolau would go on to start against the Lions, scoring a double on his Test debut, before he enjoyed a flourishing rugby career that yielded three John Eales Medals and a World Cup final appearance with the Wallabies in 2015. "I've got no thought pattern past October 28. "The only thing I'm worried about is this World Cup," Jones said. Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has made no secret of his desire to lure Suaali'i across since the former Test boss returned to the role in January, but the 63-year-old was coy on the latest development when quizzed at the annual Australian Schools Rugby lunch on Friday. The Telegraph reports the deal is worth $1.6m per season, with a two-year offer understood to be on the table. Suaali'i's longer-term future has been the subject of continued chatter for the past few years, but, on Friday afternoon the Daily Telegraphreported the 19-year-old was "poised to sign with Rugby Australia" after high-level meetings between the youngster's manager Isaac Moses and RA chairman Hamish McLennan. Waratahs captain Jake Gordon has played down speculation Joseph Suaali'i could switch codes and join NSW in 2025, but backed the rising NRL star to be a success in rugby if he did choose to follow a trail similar to that of Israel Folau a decade ago.
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