Joseph Suaalii 'not rushing' in fitness race for round one
Roosters teenager Joseph Suaalii has hinted that he won't be hurried back into the team for Round 1, as he makes his way back from serious injury.
"Your goal is to play in the first grade team but I'm not rushing, I'm just coming back from the injury at the moment," he said on the club's website on Wednesday.
"If I play round one, I play round one, if I don't, I'm not too stressed about it."
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Suaalii was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign midway through the 2021 season, after suffering a foot injury.
The 18-year-old took to the top flight like a duck to water, looking solid in the centres before his year ended prematurely.
"I loved it, coming in as a young bloke, at the start, you're kind of intimidated but now I'm friends with most of the lads," he said.
"Playing my first game in the NRL was a dream come true."
Joseph Suaalii during the 2021 season. Getty
The Roosters have some depth in the backline this year with the additions of Paul Momirovski and Kevin Naiqama, albeit also losing the Morris twins, Dale Copley, and Matt Ikuvalu.
The versatile Suaalii is happy to play anywhere - and although fullback is definitely spoken for this year, he could feature at either wing or centre.
"A big thing this year is just trying to stay consistent, and just being on the field for the whole year."
