After an impressive start to his Wallabies career in the centres, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii is facing another audition. This one is in front of new Waratahs coach Dan McKellar to see which position works best for his Super Rugby team.
In the first week back for the Waratahs’ Wallabies contingent, and under pouring rain on Thursday, Suaalii trained mostly on the wing. The former Roosters star is diplomatically happy to play wherever he is needed, but he did admit to having one serious ambition. That of being one of the Waratahs’ goalkickers.
Suaalii has every reason to reach for the kicking tee, given he boasts the NRL’s best kicking record at a ground, never missing from 29 attempts at Allianz Stadium.
The former Rooster’s pitch for the role is perfectly timed, given the Waratahs will host the Highlanders for the first game of Super Rugby on February 14 at a stadium where he didn’t miss.
“I’ve always practised kicking and obviously Tane [Edmed] has the role here and, yeah, I’m just trying to get that second spot now,” Suaalii said with a smile.
“I think Andrew Kellaway’s a good kicker as well, so I just need to just work out my process and just work at it every day, and then hopefully, just as time goes, just slowly, just get into that role of goalkicking.”
NSW Waratahs player Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii poses for a photograph next to a window ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season.Credit: AAP
Asked if there was a major difference between the NRL’s Steeden and Super Rugby’s Gilbert balls, Suaalii admitted that there was a different movement off the kicking tee.
“Goal kicking is a little bit different,” Suaalii said. “The Gilbert [ball] is a bit fatter, so it goes straighter, and then the Steeden comes in a little bit, so [it] has more draw when you kick, so that’s probably the biggest thing I’ve found, the difference.”
Despite a strong start to his rugby career, including a man-of-the-match performance in the Wallabies’ victory over England in November, Suaalii has returned to Waratahs training desperate to improve.
Coaches and teammates have noticed his dedication, which includes almost always being the first to training and the last out and staying late to do extra analysis on the computer.
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii after his first cap for the WallabiesCredit: Julius Dimitaga/Rugby Australia
Although Wallabies’ coach Joe Schmidt had enough tactical faith in Suaalii to throw him into international rugby at centre, the player admitted that switching to a new code at the highest level had provided significant challenges.
“I’d say just defensively, just where to be in different positions, also just learning the plays,” Suaalii said.
“There’s a lot of set piece attack and all of that, just trying to also lower my tackle height, I know that’s a big thing in rugby. That’s probably the three things I’ve been focusing on, but there are lots of things I’ve been working at.”
Suaalii reserved some special thanks to new Waratahs’ teammate Kellaway for his on-field mentorship on the spring tour.
‘Even just playing at Twickenham … it was just great stuff.’
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on the Wallabies’ spring tour
“There were plenty of times when Andrew Kellaway was helping me out on the field on different plays and things, so I’ve got to thank Kells for that,” Suaalii said.
Across four games in the Wallabies’ spring tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland, Suaalii was the star attraction and played in front of an average crowd of 62,000. The former NRL star admitted his surprise at how big the game was in the northern hemisphere.
“It was kind of crazy, 100 per cent I didn’t realise how big the game of rugby was up north,” Suaalii said.
“I think every time I was on a bus, it was just like driving in, you see the crowds, and it was just, honestly, it was unreal.
“Even just playing at Twickenham, I didn’t realise how many people were in the crowd until you actually get out there and you’re singing the anthem, and it was just great stuff.
“Playing in Ireland, Wales and Scotland as well. It was just experiencing the different cities and travel as a 21-year-old, it’s a great thing.”
