'He's very talented': Sualauvi Fa'alogo caught a Latrell Mitchell bomb with his eyes closed, and then ran amok

When Sualauvi Fa'alogo diffused a Latrell Mitchell bomb, danced his way through scrambling Rabbitohs defenders, raced 50 metres down the middle of Accor Stadium and sent Tyran Wishart hurtling away to score, those tuned in were left in awe of the young Storm livewire.

Yet perhaps what was most impressive about that game-breaking play was not recognisable to the naked eye, save for possibly the eyes of the few South Sydney defenders bearing down on him as he tracked the swirling ball.

"To be honest, I just closed my eyes and put my hands there," Fa'alogo said on Saturday night, "and then saw the space and just took it."

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Presumably, Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy wasn't aware when he sat down for his press conference that Fa'alogo had caught the ball with his eyes closed.

Even still, the veteran coach said that kick of Mitchell's was "one of the toughest kicks to take all night".

"And he took it," Bellamy said.

Fa'alogo, who's playing as a winger in the current Storm side but is viewed as a long-term NRL fullback, ran through the play in an interview with Wide World of Sports in the bowels of Accor Stadium.

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Melbourne beat South Sydney 25-24 in golden point, courtesy of a Ryan Papenhuyzen field goal.

"That was a pretty good kick from Mitchell. It was pretty high," Fa'alogo said.

The Storm were trailing 20-18 when Mitchell sent the ball soaring into the Sydney night sky.

When Papenhuyzen converted the Wishart try, the visitors led 24-20 with less than 10 minutes to go.

In a game ultimately decided by just one point, Fa'alogo's out-of-the-blue play was enormously important.

The Samoan-born star, a rare product of Victoria's junior rugby league system, said tapping into his backyard footy-style game was a focus of his.

"That was my work-on coming through — when I make a break just make sure I play eyes-up footy, look around, scan around and see who's there. That was one of my work-ons," he said.

Fa'alogo played a couple of seasons of Aussie rules as a young kid, before taking up rugby league with the Northern Thunder, a club in Melbourne's north, and finding his calling in the 13-man game.

He scored a development contract with the Storm in 2021, and then took out Melbourne's Feeder Player of the Year honours in both 2022 and 2023 as a star of the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

In a mega show of faith in the young talent, Melbourne locked him up with a five-year contract extension ahead of last season, tying him to the club until the end of 2028.

"He's only a small kid, but he's very talented, [and] special with his speed and his footwork," Bellamy said after Saturday night's game.

"He wouldn't be the most knowledgeable rugby league player in the game because he grew up playing AFL.

"I just think he's going to get better and better as time goes on when he learns more about the game and learns more about himself.

"But he's got that pace and that change of direction to be able to do what he did tonight."

In Storm legend Billy Slater, Fa'alogo has arguably the greatest fullback of all time in his corner.

"When he comes in I'll ask him questions and [we talk about] what I need to work on with my footy," Fa'alogo said.

"It's a crazy feeling seeing him. I used to watch him when I was young and it's just crazy to have him there and learning from him. I'm very grateful."

What's some of the advice Slater has given him?

"Play with confidence and back myself and play to my strengths," Fa'alogo smiled.

"I've been watching some videos [of Slater in his playing days] ... and getting some stuff out of his game to work on my game."