Trent Robinson has launched a broadside at Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould over his suggestions Joseph Suaalii should leave the NRL immediately, labelling Gould’s comment “ridiculous” and rooted in fear.
Speaking for the first time since Suaalii’s $4.8 million defection to rugby union in 2025 was confirmed, Robinson said he had never assumed the 19-year-old star would always remain in rugby league nor at the Roosters, and is “more than fine” with protracted negotiations around Suaalii’s future.
The media circus and cross-code sniping was another matter for the Roosters coach, in particular Gould’s inflammatory comments on Nine’s 100% Footy that Suaalii should not “let the door hit you on the arse on the way out.”
Robinson dismissed talk of any early release before Suaalii’s Roosters deal lapses at the end of 2024, and took aim at the Bulldogs boss as he called for calm regarding rugby’s targeting of NRL players.
“It was a ridiculous comment, that was a guy looking after another club [with] a ridiculous comment to say about Joey and what he would do,” Robinson said.
“He can stick to his turf and we’ll stick to ours and how we want to deal with it. It showed a fair bit of fear for me about another code. Lots of players sign a year out.
Roosters coach Trent Robinson thinks the hysteria over Joseph Suaalii’s imminent defection has been overblown.Credit:Getty
“Coaches go between rugby union and rugby league. But to come out against Joey as a 19-year-old, it showed a fair bit of fear about the [Rugby Australia] building across the road for us. There’s been a lot of back-and-forth between the two codes as well.
“I really like rugby union and it’s OK to say that as a league guy … but the fact is we have the best rugby competition, league or union in the world.
“That’s what the NRL is, it’s by far the best competition. They know it and we know it … there’s no fear on that. We’re always going to attract players that want to be at their best, that want to be at the height of their game and players will come and go.
‘This is the pinnacle of any rugby competition in the world. So stay cool, relax. We’re going to produce players.’
Trent Robinson
“We’ve got 17 teams in such a great competition. That’s the calmness that says we’re going to produce players … this is the pinnacle of any rugby competition in the world. So stay cool, relax. We’re going to produce players, so don’t come out with fearful comments about other codes. Respect both sides of it.”
Suaalii will turn out for the Roosters on Thursday night against Parramatta having been front and back page news for much of the week.
Robinson said the headlines are part and parcel of being in such demand and keeping his career path open to code switches with player options inserted into his Roosters deal.
“It’s a weight that you’ve got to carry,” Robinson said.
“That’s the truth of it, as a young guy and as a 19-year-old you’re not expected to, but if you want to be the best possible player you can be and up in lights there you’re going to have to carry some weight along the way.
“And that’s come in bucketloads in the last few months and it’s all a part of his learning as well, so it’s good. I don’t see it as a negative he has to learn to carry it, put it in the right spot if he wants to be the best player in this game.
“At some point Joey does need to stand up and have a voice because he has also put himself in the spotlight, by the way that he plays but also the way that they’ve negotiated the contracts. He needs to talk about that and his desires at some point.
“I’ve seen some guys in my past that have put themselves out there like this and they’ve had to back it up on the field and they’ve had to cop criticism, but ultimately it’s got the best out of them if they’ve handled it.”
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