Suaalii makes bombshell World Cup decision

2 years ago 128

Australia's World Cup bid has taken yet different hit, with Joseph Suaalii electing to correspond Samoa, alternatively than his federation of birth.

The 19-year-old is the latest successful a bid of players eligible for some nations, who person opted for a bluish jersey alternatively than the greenish and gold.

Brian To'o announced helium would play for Samoa backmost successful July, portion props Junior Paulo and Josh Papalii each made the aforesaid telephone a mates of weeks' later.

With aggregate different extracurricular backs declaring for different nations arsenic well, Suaalii was thought by galore to beryllium a walk-up commencement for the Kangaroos.

"For household reasons, I person decided to pledge my allegiance to Samoa for the upcoming World Cup," Suaalii told News Corp.

"This has been 1 of the astir hard decisions of my career."

Instead, it's astir getting to the signifier of wondering who volition play for Australia, alternatively than rattling disconnected the players who won't.

Canberra backrower Hudson Young was the latest subordinate named to the nationalist team's train-on squad, aft a stellar 2022 season.

Stream the NRL premiership 2022 unrecorded and escaped on 9Now

He joins a big of different NRL stars from eliminated teams successful that evolving group, but interestingly, that squad did see Suaalii, who has present opted to play for Samoa instead, arsenic good arsenic the likes of Tino Fa'asuamaleaui and David Fifita, some of whom are eligible for Samoa and Tonga, respectively.

Tonga manager Kristian Woolf named Fifita, arsenic good arsenic different Origin representatives Daniel Tupou and Siosifa Talakai successful a 38-man squad past week.

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