One of rugby league’s brightest stars, Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i, is set to talk away from the NRL to join the game’s fifteen-a-side archrival from the start of the 2025 season after signing a seven-figure deal with Rugby Australia.
There have been suggestions in footy circles for some time now that Sua’ali’i has been mulling over a mega-offer from Australia’s top rugby bosses, with the number being thrown around coming close to $1.6 million a year. While the 19-year-old publicly denied the possibility, he and his camp were clearly working on it behind the scenes.
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The Sydney Roosters will keep Sua’ali’i on the books until the end of 2024.
Sua’ali’i actually just recently activated an extension in his already quite quality NRL contract in regard to next year. Before that, he could have walked away from the tricolours club at the end of this season but has locked off that option for the time being.
The rugby swap makes sense too: the 2027 World Cup is a juicy lure for anyone who wants to succeed in the fifteen-a-side code and the 19-year-old star has never made his desires a secret.
The move happening in 2025 helps his World Cup cause all the more. Australia will face the British and Irish Lions that same year for the first time since 2009. Sua’ali’i will also get two and a half seasons in rugby before the World Cup begins.
Before that, the Samoan international will play around 40 or 50 more games with the Roosters, should he stay injury-free. He’s already made 27 appearances for the tricolours and a further six for Samoa in the World Cup. While Sua’ali’i has been eager to play fullback for the Roosters, he’s been stuck behind James Tedesco and has been playing in the centres.
At the very least, this solves Sydney’s issue—Teddy will likely play on as fullback.
Sua’ali’i will be hoping he can help the Roosters to an NRL premiership before he departs. If he doesn’t, however, there’s every chance he may return after his rugby contract ends. He will be just 24 in 2027 and could actually be right in the middle of his prime years when he wants to come back to rugby league in the 2030s.
When he swaps, the young gun will likely play for the Waratahs.
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