Mark Nawaqanitawase’s NRL deal is another painful blow for Aussie rugby

It’s a sad day when even the appeal of playing the British and Irish Lions can’t keep an emerging superstar in Australian rugby.

With the end of the Wallabies’ woeful year just over 20 days away from being marked down as yet another annus horribilis, fans were met with another painfully heartbreaking blow.

Mark Nawaqanitawase was a shining light for the Wallabies during an otherwise disastrous season, but an opportunity to embark on a new journey will see the wing leave Aussie rugby.

Earlier this week, Rugby Australia confirmed that the 11-Test Wallaby had penned a two-year deal with NRL heavyweights the Sydney Roosters from 2025.

Nawaqanitawase had met with Roosters coach Trent Robinson and chairman Nick Politis in Sydney after the Rugby World Cup, but the news that he'd put pen to paper was still hard to digest.

Whether it was denial, scepticism or just ignorance, supporters expected Rugby Australia to thwart the advances of the NRL juggernaut and hang on tight to their prized wing.

But it wasn’t to be.

At the end of next season, Nawaqanitawase will jump ship – leaving the Wallabies without one of their brightest stars ahead of the esteemed Lions tour.

“We are disappointed – Mark has been a strong player over the last 12 months,” Rugby Australia CEO and former Wallaby Phil Waugh said in a statement.

“However, the outside backs are a position of strength for us, with great depth coming through. We are confident we are well stocked with talented wingers for the future.”

If Rugby Australia didn’t want this to happen, then fans, pundits and even players would be left to ponder why they couldn’t keep Nawaqanitawase in the 15-player game.

Nobody should blame the man affectionally known as ‘Marky Mark’ for this decision - career stability and financial certainty likely played a part.

Rugby Australia only re-signed the wing to a one-year deal earlier this year. Nawaqanitawase told The Sydney Morning Herald that there were “obviously other things out there that might interest me" after inking the extension.

The writing was on the wall.

“This has been an intense process for Mark and his family, which has taken some time to navigate,” Nawaqanitawase’s agent Andrew Fairbairn told The Sydney Morning Herald this week.

“At 23, Mark feels now is the best time to stay in Australia, but have a new experience in the Roosters program for 2025 and 2026. (Roosters coach) Trent Robinson has a long line of success with working with rugby union talent – which ultimately was the catalyst in Mark’s decision.”

Nawaqanitawase only burst onto the Test rugby scene during last year’s end-of-season tour to the northern hemisphere, but the towering outside back has quickly become a frontline Wallaby.

With Australia all but down and out against Wales at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium 13 months ago, Nawaqanitawase was the catalyst for one of the most famous comebacks in Aussie rugby history. The 23-year-old scored two tries in 10 minutes and later received Player of the Match honours.

That was the start of what should’ve been a long and successful career in Wallaby gold, with Nawaqanitawase going on to impress at the World Cup, unlike most of his teammates.

But that's not even the full story.

Nawaqanitawase’s decision to jump codes also makes the signing of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii that much more baffling.

The Roar reported earlier this week that Nawaqanitawase was set to sign a deal with the Roosters for about $600,000. Meanwhile, Suaalii – who is only 20 years old and is yet to play State of Origin – has reportedly signed with RA for about $1.6 million per season.

But the math just doesn't add up. Mark Nawaqanitawase could very well be a better player than Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii when their careers are both said and done.

Rugby union's loss is unfortunately the NRL's gain.

It’s incredibly upsetting that RA couldn’t offer Nawaqanitawase a fraction of Suaalii’s deal, especially considering everything else that’s happened in the game Down Under over the last six months.

While the door is open for a return ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup on Australian soil, the damage has already been done. Nawaqanitawase would rather be in the NRL at the moment and that's concerning.

How the mighty giant that is Aussie rugby has fallen.

So yes, it’s a sad day when even the appeal of playing the British and Irish Lions can’t keep an emerging superstar in Australian rugby.