Sydney Roosters head coach Trent Robinson has informed 17-year old Joseph Suaalii that he will make his NRL debut this Saturday against the Brisbane Broncos.
The rookie had lucrative offers from both Rugby Australia and the South Sydney Rabbitohs but opted to join the Roosters, putting pen to paper last year.
In a statement on the Roosters website, Robinson believes that Suaalii's current form in training along with his consistency in reserve grade has earned him his debut.
"It’s been really clear to all of us that Joseph has been ready for the last few weeks, and it’s time for him to start his journey in the NRL this weekend.”
Suaalii was granted clearance to play in the NRL despite being under the age of 18, which is now required under league rules.
Despite having clearance from the NRL, the Roosters coach reiterated the point that Suaalii would have to earn his jersey like the rest of the squad.
“We’re not going to play him before he’s ready, so it’s about playing him in reserve grade and I thought he excelled in the trial but needed to physically nail the game.
“He did better again on the weekend and he needs to keep turning up against different reserve grade teams and keep the physicality continuing in his game.”
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Suaalii's time in reserve grade with feeder club North Sydney Bears showed the 17-year old is ready for the next stage. In six games for the Bears, Suaalii notched three tries, made nine tackle breaks, 74 tackles and ran a total of 537m.
While the hype surrounding the teenager has been so unbelievably evident since his signing, his debut this Saturday is the only way fans and critics will really know if he's ready to play with the big boys.