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Another gifted player poached from under Penrith's nose

GongPanther

Referee
Messages
28,281
The 'next Folau' tipped to become a Wallaby before leaving school
Georgina Robinson
5-7 minutes
He is the 15-year-old fullback they are calling the 'next Israel Folau', who shook like a leaf when he met his namesake this year and could be a Wallaby before he finishes school.

His name is Joseph Suaalii and he is at the heart of a push by Rugby Australia to sew up their best young talent and fight off suitors from other codes.

The next Izzy? Joseph Sauulii steps out for the GPS 1st XV.

Photo: Paul Seiser/SPA Images
The Kings College fullback, who lit up the GPS competition this year, is only in Year 9 but is already the same height as Folau and has rugby recruiters dreaming he could eclipse the dual international given he is in the rugby system earlier.

Suaalii grew up playing rugby league in Penrith but had started rugby, AFL, basketball and athletics by the age of 11 and as a Regentville Public School Year 6 student made an astonishing four NSW PSSA teams at the same time.

He played in the Harold Matthews Cup for South Sydney u18s this year and is also interested in basketball, but RA believes if he sticks with rugby he is a real chance of eclipsing James O'Connor as the youngest ever Wallabies debutant in the professional era (O'Connor was 18).

How they will make that happen is becoming clearer after a major overhaul of the Super Rugby academies. Players as young as 15 will be aligned with academy programs designed to complement their school and club duties, with a view to playing in a new Under-19 Rugby Championship (URC). The Cauliflower understands RA will also use scholarships to keep promising school-leavers in the rugby system as their bodies and skills develop.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has played a big role in helping RA keep their top talent close, addressing a group of 20 NSW Schoolboys earlier at Allianz Stadium this year and telling them his "greatest dream" was to sit in the stands in coming years and watch them play top flight rugby.

Cheika also met with Suaalii and brought along the 15-year-old's idol, Folau. A source told The Cauliflower that despite the fact Suaalii is already big enough to look the decorated fullback in the eye, the youngster shook like a leaf.

Israel Folau converted to rugby in 2013 after playing at the highest level in rugby league and trying AFL on for size.

Photo: AAP
Suaalii is just one of the schoolboy talents Rugby Australia is keeping tabs on. Year 12 students Will Harris (Scots) and Angus Bell (Newington) have all been retained in rugby despite big interest from NRL clubs. The pair were among RA and the Waratahs' top two schoolboy targets this year.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/rugby-...by-before-leaving-school-20180920-p504zd.html

Makes you wonder in what the talent scouts are doing as yet another potentially great player slips through our fingers.Already got burned a number of years ago when Kurtley Beale went to play Ruggah.
 

Fangs

Coach
Messages
11,185
May make it, may not. Went through school with 2-3 junior kangaroos who never saw NRL first grade.

We've got too many juniors to worry about.
 

Matthew Ellis

Juniors
Messages
482
How did Rugby get into the ear of a kid playing at Union at a private school before we did? Isn't the answer obvious. It's rare these private school Rugby kids defect in any part of the country. They just grow up around Rugby mates surrounded by Rugby culture.

We win a junior comp every year, this should be the least of our concerns.
 
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snickers007

Juniors
Messages
1,449
Not his fault he copped a bad leg injury from memory. When he was fit in the 20's,he looked a very damaging ball runner.

And the same could happen to this kid. Hindsight is always 20/20.

As others have said, it's not like we struggle to find and develop quality juniors. And if he does become a superstar in Rugby, there is nothing stopping us from bringing him back.

Seems like you're just itching to be outraged about something to be honest.
 

GongPanther

Referee
Messages
28,281
And the same could happen to this kid. Hindsight is always 20/20.

As others have said, it's not like we struggle to find and develop quality juniors. And if he does become a superstar in Rugby, there is nothing stopping us from bringing him back.

Seems like you're just itching to be outraged about something to be honest.
Far from outraged...I'm livid!! :) There are more important things to get riled up about than player movements.Just a little peeved at the talent scouts who you would think would be monitoring players like this,albeit there are players across the NRL who could have been playing for us.
 

Matthew Ellis

Juniors
Messages
482
Far from outraged...I'm livid!! :) There are more important things to get riled up about than player movements.Just a little peeved at the talent scouts who you would think would be monitoring players like this,albeit there are players across the NRL who could have been playing for us.
How do you they didn't make him an offer and he just rejected it?
 

betcats

Referee
Messages
23,443
Im sure he is a talent but we've seen so many like that who didn't make it for various reasons.
 

mxlegend99

Referee
Messages
23,005
We lost a 15 year old kid in a position we are already stacked with players in. Edwards. DWZ. Aekins. Going to be a while before fullback is an issue for us.
 

The Realist

Juniors
Messages
1,637
Already got burned a number of years ago when Kurtley Beale went to play Ruggah.

Didn't we have a younger brother and a cousin of his play for our junior teams?

In SG ball I remember one playing 5/8 back in 2007 or 2008 with Harry Seijka the Champion halfback and Viapuna Tia Kilifi the damaging back rower. A friend of mine at the time who was a coach with Bulldogs Juniors really rated him but he completely fell of the radar.

A few years later Ali Beale (Cousin?) was a talented fullback in a bunch of our junior teams but at some point lost the plot and just went AWOL.

Others also mentioned Waddell with all 16 clubs after him, but a bunch of crippling knee injuries later he was finished before he could get started.

In 08-09 we had young guns Wade Graham, Coote (U18 NSW Stars) and Iosefa (NZ train on squad) come along at the same time as Waddell. We all thought we had a future killer spine. In the end Graham converted to the backrow after being a promising though somewhat indifferent half, Coote became a fair fullback but nothing to rave about, and Iosefa - who looked far too good for Reserve grade even at 20, and showed glimpses of it playing 1st grade for us, never kicked on and just vanished.

I just don't get as excited anymore about our 'boom juniors' because more often than not they don't end up being anywhere near what they are hyped up to be. The last player who was predicted to become a super star and did (for a while) was Michael Jennings.
 
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