Rugby convert Joseph Suaalii may have got a little ahead of himself before he even suits up for his first game in the 15-man code.
The 21-year-old has now officially finished up his NRL commitments following the Sydney Roosters’ preliminary final defeat to Melbourne last Friday night.
Suaalii announced way back in March last year he would make the move to rugby union at the end of 2024 in a mooted $5 million deal over three years.
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The Wallabies, meanwhile, have just finished off another disappointing Rugby Championship campaign, winning just one out of six games to end up dead last on the four-team table.
Next up is a Spring Tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland and Suaalii appeared to jump the gun when he spoke to reporters earlier this month.
“I am honestly not sure (if I will play), but I am going on that Spring Tour at the end of the year,” Suaalii said.
“There is no Super Rugby (left this year). I know once I finish here (with the Roosters) I will be straight into it.
“Footy is footy. It’s a footy ball at the end of the day. It’s just about playing.”
The Wallabies, who have shown some improvement under Schmidt without chalking up many victories, are coming off a 33-13 loss to the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters after that match, Schmidt admitted he wasn’t entirely sure of Suaalii’s status just yet.
“Yeah, I was interested that Joseph mentioned that,” Schmidt said of the Spring Tour.
“I haven’t spoken to him directly yet because I wanted to leave him to play for the Roosters.
“Obviously they played last night and were knocked out by the Melbourne Storm.
“So Joseph, now, we will potentially have a conversation.
“We’ve just got to wait for the powers that be to deem that he’s available to us and then, you know, post that, he’ll be a guy that we’ll have a conversation with for sure.”
An option available to Schmidt could be to include Suaalii in the touring party to help with his development, with the possibility he may not play a game against the Northern Hemisphere powerhouse nations.
Still, Schmidt is looking forward to having him in the rugby ranks.
“He’s obviously coming across to rugby and we’d be pretty happy to have him,” he said.
“He’s a good athlete and a good player and he kicks well, goal kicks.”
Wallabies captain Harry Wilson was more effusive when talking about the talented youngster.
“It’s super exciting, obviously,” Wilson said. “Since he signed, I’ve probably watched him a bit more than I did before.
“And, yeah, he’s a terrific footballer and I think adds a lot of value to Australian rugby.
“So I think everyone’s pretty excited to have him.”
Source Agencies
