Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii may have played his last game for the Waratahs this season after he sustained at least the fourth concussion of his short career in his side’s 28-21 loss to the Reds on Friday night.
Suaalii suffered two concussions while playing for the Roosters in the NRL, against Cronulla in May 2022 and September 2023, alongside a head clash in training in June 2023. In Super Rugby, a player’s concussion history is considered during recovery, with an individualised rehabilitation program put in place.
Suaalii was cleared of any broken bones or serious structural damage by medical staff on Friday night and did not go to hospital after the game, instead returning to his home accompanied by his parents.
Waratahs coach Dan McKellar will certainly be without Suaalii for next week’s must-win home game against the Crusaders, with NSW’s chances of staying in the finals hunt growing slimmer after the defeat to the Reds.
The Waratahs then have just two regular-season games left – away trips to Perth and Auckland – and Suaalii would need to make a swift recovery to stand any chance of playing in the first of those.
In Super Rugby, a player must sit out for a minimum of 12 days once they report they are free of symptoms, although the 12-day period can be reset if the athlete reports any delayed effects, while their individual concussion history is taken into account.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii of the NSW Waratahs is taken off the field after sustaining a concussion against the Reds on Friday eveningCredit: Getty Images
By comparison, the NRL has a mandatory 11-day stand-down policy in the event of a concussion, and the athlete must complete a series of checks before being passed fit to play.
Given Rugby Australia’s heavy investment in Suaalii, who is on a three-year, $5.4 million contract, and his importance to the Wallabies, it would not surprise if he is rested for the remainder of the Super Rugby season to ensure he is fit to take on the British and Irish Lions in July.
Suaalii was injured attempting to make a tackle on international teammate Filipo Daugunu when he accidentally caught the knee of teammate Andrew Kellaway.
Daugunu stayed beside Suaalii to ensure his safety while play continued.
McKellar spoke of the high level of care Suaalii received in the aftermath of the concussion as Reds and Waratahs medical teams worked together to treat the player.
The Waratahs lost their unbeaten home record against the Reds in Sydney on Friday.Credit: Getty Images
“You just want him to be OK, don’t you?” McKellar said. “We’ve got access to vision and the analyst told me pretty quickly that he’d got a knee to the head. The medical staff were on there quickly and gave him the support that he needed.
“He’s with his mum and dad now back home, so he’ll be OK. Obviously he just gave everyone a fright; you don’t want to see any player down on the ground, knocked out.”
The Waratahs raced to a 14-0 lead after a strong start to the game, before yellow cards to tighthead props Dan Botha and Taniela Tupou enabled Queensland to claw their way back into the match, reeling in the home side to run out 28-21 winners.
Waratahs captain Jake Gordon, who recently committed to another two years in Australia, said he was pleased with the Waratahs’ progress this season after they finished on the bottom of the Super Rugby ladder last year.
“There’s always a lot of expectation here,” he said. “We came last last year. I’m not using that as an excuse. I still think if we play close to our best, we’re going to win a lot of the games finishing the year.
“I’ve seen massive growth. Consistency, like Dan’s [McKellar] talked about, we’re chasing that for sure. I think what you’ve seen is definitely some growth this year. If we closed a few more opportunities tonight, we’d be sitting here with a different story.
“I actually think for the majority, we were really in the game, I don’t think we dropped off. We just didn’t nail a few opportunities. But yeah, definite growth … [but] still a lot to go.”
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