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Weight of Australian rugby would be a massive burden and cost for teenage sensation Joseph Suaalii to bear

By Finn Morton
CG-Joseph-Suaalii

At a time when rugby is struggling to control its identity and to determine its standing in the wide selection of sports Down Under, Rugby Australia (RA) may have dug themselves into a deeper hole with their most recent attempt at staying relevant.

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Despite their financial struggles, RA have thrown the kitchen sink at a player who hasn’t yet played first grade in the sport, let alone graduated high school.

Joseph Suaalii has been touted as a generational talent, starring for the Kings College First XV in Sydney’s GPS since making his debut for the prestigious high school team at 14.

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Join hosts Drew Mitchell, Lou Ransome, Steve Hoiles and Sean Maloney as they chat all-things Australian Rugby.

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Join hosts Drew Mitchell, Lou Ransome, Steve Hoiles and Sean Maloney as they chat all-things Australian Rugby.

The 16-year-old caught the eyes of fans and pundits alike from both rugby union and league, but it was the 13-man code that appeared to have won the race for his signature last month.

Suaalii reportedly agreed to a $1.7 million deal across three years with rugby league powerhouse, the South Sydney Rabbitohs. But until he turns 17 in August, his contract can’t be processed with the NRL.

With there still being time to lure him back to union, RA have allegedly offered the teenager an absurd amount of money, a deal rumoured to be $3 million across three years.

Remember, he’s 16.

The pure desperation of not losing another prodigy like Kalyn Ponga to their cross-code rivals seems to have been too much to bear for Rugby Australia, who must see Suaalii as the solution to their issues.

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Interim chief executive Rob Clarke rubbished the rumours about Suaalii mid-week, insisting that the value of the contract had been fabricated by the media.

For the sake of the sport, if they do manage to poach their man from league at the 11th hour, then Australian rugby needs Clarke to be telling the truth.

Let’s not forget, rugby is in a dire situation financially. They’ve been unable to secure a broadcast deal from next year with the future of Super Rugby still up in the air, which is just one issue at the top of a lengthy list.

In May, rugby received a financial aid package from World Rugby, but also released players from their contracts due to the uncertainty of the sports financial future. They had asked all players to take a 65% pay cut for six months due to the dire financial situation.

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2019 Junior Wallabies Harry Hockings and Isaac Lucas, joined by Wallaby Izack Rodda, walked out on the Queensland Reds and Rugby Australia as a protest to this request.

Anthony Picone who was the manager of all three players, stated in response that “it is only reasonable that talented players want to secure stable employment during these times.”

How are these three players, and the players still playing in Australia for that matter, supposed to feel when they hear about a 16-year-old being offered this type of money?

Players like Wallaby Jordan Petaia, should now expect a significant raise that reflects his proven performance on the field when his current contract expires in 2022.

More players will head for the door if they aren’t paid and Rugby Australia must think long-term here.

While these players should expect more, the sport is struggling elsewhere – that’s where the money should be invested.

After three rounds of the original 15-team Super Rugby competition to start the year, there was an average of nearly 4,000 fewer fans at Australian home matches compared to the crowd averages from the whole season before.

This speaks volumes about the declining passion for the sport.

The Business Insider also reported that from 2001 to 2016, Australian playing numbers were down 63% from 148,000 participants nation-wide to 55,000, making rugby the 26th most popular sport in the country at the time.

While there’s been an increase in participation numbers since, the days of rugby’s reputation as a tier one sport in Australia appear over.

Writing for rugby.com.au, former Wallaby Rod Kafer believes that rugby could soon be a “niche” sport if Australia does go at it alone next year and ditch New Zealand.

A lot would have to be done to prevent the sport from dropping down from tier one status at the start of the millennium, into this category just 20 years later.

Surely the money would’ve then been better spent on reinvesting in the grassroots, and reminding us all why we loved this game in the first place?

But Rugby Australia have apparently made their choice, which puts a weight of expectation on the youthful shoulders of the teenager who’ll instantly become one of the faces of the sport if and when he officially puts pen to paper.

For the type of money has allegedly been offered, you’d expect the fullback to be the star of the show for not just the Waratahs but the Wallabies as well.

But at his age, he can’t be expected to be anything more than just part of the rotation while showing glimpses of promise when he does feature.

The step up to playing against men, probably without playing Shute Shield or in the National Rugby Championship first, will take time.

Still, people are expecting Suaalii to make his Waratahs debut sooner rather than later, in what is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is expected of the 16-year-old.

The postponed Tokyo Olympics with the Australia sevens team is also apparently part of the plan, as is the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

But if he falls short of what’s expected of him and needs a bit more time to develop, Rugby Australia can’t afford to pay anyone this type of money when they may end up watching from the sidelines.

The game is too fragile to allow that to happen.

Either he’ll sink or swim; falter under the pressure and cost the sport a lot of money, or he’ll guide the Wallabies to the endless successes that are seemingly expected of him.

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Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 4 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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