Joseph Suaalii

Meninga offers Samoan star big warning ahead of World Cup final

The star outside back suprised Australian selectors when he opted to play for Samoa.

Published by
Euan Kennedy

Samoan fullback, Joseph Sua'ali'i has been put on notice by Mal Meninga ahead of the World Cup Final, cautioning the young star that his Kangaroos squad will hold nothing back.

Sua'ali'i rocked the boat back in September when he turned his back on Meninga's Australian squad to join a host of Kangaroo-eligible Origin stars with Samoa.

Joseph Suaalii dictates Samoa's defensive line from the back.

He has now made 5 appearances for Matt Parish's Samoan outfit at fullback, and while Meninga bears no grudges, he admits his side is willing to get physical to shut down Sua'ali'i.

"He is (a weapon) but so is James Tedesco and we'll come up with a plan to nullify it," Meninga told the AAP. 

"We know he is going to run the ball back hard and we have to handle it.

"That's what rugby league is about, confrontation, and we'll come up with the right answers.

"He's a great player and he's only 19 years of age. He has the skill set and he's going to have a huge career.

"We'll do our homework on the Samoans and we'll try to pick threats and weaknesses out, but as we proved against New Zealand it's not pretty sometimes."

"I'm pretty happy that he (Suaalii) made the choice (to play for Samoa).

"That's why I pushed from the middle of the year (to know who wanted to play for Australia).

"I want players playing with passion. Obviously, he wants to play for Samoa because he's got a passion for it.

WARRINGTON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 06: Junior Paulo of Samoa leads the Siva Tau during the Rugby League World Cup Quarter Final match between Tonga and Samoa at The Halliwell Jones Stadium on November 06, 2022 in Warrington, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images for RLWC)

"We (Australia) are no less passionate than any other team.

"It's been great for the game for players to play for their ancestral nations. And it proves a point, they've got to the final."

Meninga has also been vocal about reforms to the international games eligibility rules after missing out on the services of Josh Papali'i, Junior Paulo and Brian To'o, Jarome Luai and Stephen Crichton, who all played for Samoa despite being Origin representatives.

Published by
Euan Kennedy