Should a former Wallaby really be in the running for NRL's rookie of the year?
Roosters fans will be more concerned about Nawaqanitawase staying put, rather than any water-cooler debate about his rookie-of-the-year credentials.
Herald colleague Iain Payten wrote about Rugby Australia potentially making a play to bring Nawaqanitawase home in time for the 2027 World Cup on home soil, once his Roosters deal expires at the end of 2026.
However, incoming Wallabies coach Les Kiss was cool on that prospect when he addressed it at a NSW Blues training session at Ballymore on Monday. 'I couldn't see it happening at this stage,' Kiss said.
'Someone like Marky is someone we'll always keep an eye on. But the truth is, he's in as good place at the moment to stay at the Roosters – I do know he's done well enough there for the Roosters to not let him go.'
As the young Roosters round out the weekend action at home to the Raiders, assistant coach Matt King said the Generation Next Chooks – excepting Nawaqanitawase – had been on the radar for several years.
'It's a story that has been three or four years in the making,' King said.'The club has been incredibly supportive of some absolute legends of the game as they've dealt with retirement, including Mitch Aubusson, Jake Friend, Boyd Cordner and Brett Morris. Their sole focus has been to develop the next crop.
'They've been patient. Nobody else knew what we had on our hands, but we did.'
King said Nawaqanitawase was just as impressive off the field as he was on it.
'I've got three young girls, and if one of them ever brings home a man like Marky Mark, I'll be happy as – he's such a good fella,' King said.
'He walked into and changed our environment, purely through the person he is. There's no ego. He finished at the Paris Olympics, and three weeks later he's playing [reserve grade] in Glebe in front of three people. He just got on with it. He's an incredible human.
'With Hugo, there are two things I have consistently seen in a good young half during my career, which is someone who makes their tackles, and someone who kicks the ball well. Cooper Cronk did just that when starting at Melbourne, and so did Adam Reynolds at Souths. Hugo is not only making all his tackles, he's consistently kicking the ball well to all areas of th field.
'And Rob's journey to the NRL has been filled with adversity because of two ACLs. He's clear on what makes a consistent NRL centre. He's got stuff like the two Joeys [Joey Suaalii and Manu] with the footy. We don't see it as consistently at the moment because he's so focused on his defence and shutting down his edge. But it will come.'
Dolphins winger Jack Bostock took top honours last year after new Bulldog Lachie Galvin was ineligible because of suspension, while Sunia Turuva beat his future Tigers teammate Jahream Bula in 2023.
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The Advertiser
38 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Behich stunner set to become iconic Socceroos moment
The Socceroos have effectively punched their ticket to the 2026 World Cup after an Aziz Behich stunner in the 90th minute lifted them to a 1-0 win over Japan at a sold-out Optus Stadium. In front of 57,226 fans in Perth on Thursday night, Australia looked disjointed and uninspiring throughout the match before Behich popped up for the winner in what was his first international goal in 13 years. Riley McGree's angled cut back rolled tantalisingly untouched in the box, and Behich ran back and unleashed a right-foot strike while spinning his body to send the ball flying in for a goal. The result means the Socceroos (16 points, +8 goal difference) will lock in the second automatic World Cup qualifying spot from their group - barring a crazy big loss to Saudi Arabia in Jeddah next Tuesday. Saudi Arabia (10 points, -2 goal difference) need to beat lowly Bahrain overnight to stay in the hunt to leapfrog the Socceroos. Behich, who won the A-League title with Melbourne City last Saturday, rated his goal against Japan as his finest moment in Socceroos colours. "As soon as it's come off my foot, I felt I hit it pretty nicely," Behich said. "I actually didn't see the ball hit the net. I just kind of saw the crowd erupt and players start running everywhere. "That's when I'm like, 'Let's go'. It was a beautiful moment." Socceroos coach Tony Popovic exploded with emotion on the bench when the goal went in, with a flare set off in the crowd to mark the moment. "It's a special night," Popovic said. "The outpouring of emotions when we scored, and obviously after the game - it's a moment I'll always remember. "We've all played a part in getting us to this point, and we want to go to Saudi Arabia now and really finish the job off." Thursday's result marked Australia's first win over Japan since 2009. Japan (20 points) entered the match under no pressure to perform given they had already qualified for the World Cup as the winners of their group. Regulars such as Kaoru Mitoma, Daizen Maida, Reo Hatate, Takumi Minamino, Ritsu Doan, Junya Ito and Hidemasa Morita didn't even make the trip to Australia, while stars Wataru Endo, Takefusa Kubo and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki were named on the bench. Japan named three debutants in their starting XI as well as six other players with four or fewer international caps to their name. Australia looked like they had stage fright in the first half, with basic errors and bad decision-making regularly plaguing them. Japan enjoyed 70 per cent possession for the half, and they gave the Socceroos a big scare in the 28th minute when Yuito Suzuki surged forward and sent his shot just wide. A goalkeeping error from Japan in the 48th minute gave Behich a sniff that he wasn't able to take advantage of. But he made no mistake in the 90th minute, burying his chance to send the crowd into raptures. The Socceroos have effectively punched their ticket to the 2026 World Cup after an Aziz Behich stunner in the 90th minute lifted them to a 1-0 win over Japan at a sold-out Optus Stadium. In front of 57,226 fans in Perth on Thursday night, Australia looked disjointed and uninspiring throughout the match before Behich popped up for the winner in what was his first international goal in 13 years. Riley McGree's angled cut back rolled tantalisingly untouched in the box, and Behich ran back and unleashed a right-foot strike while spinning his body to send the ball flying in for a goal. The result means the Socceroos (16 points, +8 goal difference) will lock in the second automatic World Cup qualifying spot from their group - barring a crazy big loss to Saudi Arabia in Jeddah next Tuesday. Saudi Arabia (10 points, -2 goal difference) need to beat lowly Bahrain overnight to stay in the hunt to leapfrog the Socceroos. Behich, who won the A-League title with Melbourne City last Saturday, rated his goal against Japan as his finest moment in Socceroos colours. "As soon as it's come off my foot, I felt I hit it pretty nicely," Behich said. "I actually didn't see the ball hit the net. I just kind of saw the crowd erupt and players start running everywhere. "That's when I'm like, 'Let's go'. It was a beautiful moment." Socceroos coach Tony Popovic exploded with emotion on the bench when the goal went in, with a flare set off in the crowd to mark the moment. "It's a special night," Popovic said. "The outpouring of emotions when we scored, and obviously after the game - it's a moment I'll always remember. "We've all played a part in getting us to this point, and we want to go to Saudi Arabia now and really finish the job off." Thursday's result marked Australia's first win over Japan since 2009. Japan (20 points) entered the match under no pressure to perform given they had already qualified for the World Cup as the winners of their group. Regulars such as Kaoru Mitoma, Daizen Maida, Reo Hatate, Takumi Minamino, Ritsu Doan, Junya Ito and Hidemasa Morita didn't even make the trip to Australia, while stars Wataru Endo, Takefusa Kubo and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki were named on the bench. Japan named three debutants in their starting XI as well as six other players with four or fewer international caps to their name. Australia looked like they had stage fright in the first half, with basic errors and bad decision-making regularly plaguing them. Japan enjoyed 70 per cent possession for the half, and they gave the Socceroos a big scare in the 28th minute when Yuito Suzuki surged forward and sent his shot just wide. A goalkeeping error from Japan in the 48th minute gave Behich a sniff that he wasn't able to take advantage of. But he made no mistake in the 90th minute, burying his chance to send the crowd into raptures. The Socceroos have effectively punched their ticket to the 2026 World Cup after an Aziz Behich stunner in the 90th minute lifted them to a 1-0 win over Japan at a sold-out Optus Stadium. In front of 57,226 fans in Perth on Thursday night, Australia looked disjointed and uninspiring throughout the match before Behich popped up for the winner in what was his first international goal in 13 years. Riley McGree's angled cut back rolled tantalisingly untouched in the box, and Behich ran back and unleashed a right-foot strike while spinning his body to send the ball flying in for a goal. The result means the Socceroos (16 points, +8 goal difference) will lock in the second automatic World Cup qualifying spot from their group - barring a crazy big loss to Saudi Arabia in Jeddah next Tuesday. Saudi Arabia (10 points, -2 goal difference) need to beat lowly Bahrain overnight to stay in the hunt to leapfrog the Socceroos. Behich, who won the A-League title with Melbourne City last Saturday, rated his goal against Japan as his finest moment in Socceroos colours. "As soon as it's come off my foot, I felt I hit it pretty nicely," Behich said. "I actually didn't see the ball hit the net. I just kind of saw the crowd erupt and players start running everywhere. "That's when I'm like, 'Let's go'. It was a beautiful moment." Socceroos coach Tony Popovic exploded with emotion on the bench when the goal went in, with a flare set off in the crowd to mark the moment. "It's a special night," Popovic said. "The outpouring of emotions when we scored, and obviously after the game - it's a moment I'll always remember. "We've all played a part in getting us to this point, and we want to go to Saudi Arabia now and really finish the job off." Thursday's result marked Australia's first win over Japan since 2009. Japan (20 points) entered the match under no pressure to perform given they had already qualified for the World Cup as the winners of their group. Regulars such as Kaoru Mitoma, Daizen Maida, Reo Hatate, Takumi Minamino, Ritsu Doan, Junya Ito and Hidemasa Morita didn't even make the trip to Australia, while stars Wataru Endo, Takefusa Kubo and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki were named on the bench. Japan named three debutants in their starting XI as well as six other players with four or fewer international caps to their name. Australia looked like they had stage fright in the first half, with basic errors and bad decision-making regularly plaguing them. Japan enjoyed 70 per cent possession for the half, and they gave the Socceroos a big scare in the 28th minute when Yuito Suzuki surged forward and sent his shot just wide. A goalkeeping error from Japan in the 48th minute gave Behich a sniff that he wasn't able to take advantage of. But he made no mistake in the 90th minute, burying his chance to send the crowd into raptures.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Socceroos hero Aziz Behich and coach Tony Popovic ecstatic after later winner against Japan
By Aziz Behich's own admission, the Socceroos' newest hero did not actually see his 90th minute strike hit the net. Instead, he saw a sea of bodies rise as one in the crowd, heard a roar summoned from their depths, and he knew he had struck gold. With his late strike on his unfavoured right foot, Behich entrenched himself in Socceroos and national sporting folklore, steering home Riley McGree's cutback on his unfavoured right foot to give Australia a 1-0 win over Japan in Perth. The Socceroos had scarcely deserved a point, let alone all three from their clash in front of a crowd of 57,226 at Optus Stadium. But it did not matter, as their three points over Japan pushed them to the precipice of a sixth successive World Cup qualification. Only a disastrous defeat in the realm of five goals to Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Tuesday would thwart direct qualification to the 2026 marquee tournament in North America. Behich said he saw the chance to push forward as the Socceroos chased a late but unlikely winner and as it turned out, fortune favoured the brave. 'It was just about getting myself in a position into the box. One thing the boss said at half-time was, we've still got to work hard, be tough to break down, but we will get our opportunity if we stick to our structure and get numbers into the box,' he said. 'We'll get one opportunity, and we'll take it. 'I just tried to get myself into that back post area and as soon as it sat and it's come off my foot, I felt it hit pretty nicely. 'I actually didn't see the ball as it hit the net; I just saw the crowd erupt and players start running everywhere, and that's when I looked at the goal. It was a beautiful moment.' Last Saturday, Behich's Melbourne City side were crowned A-League Men's champions; all in all, it has not been a bad few days for the 34-year-old, and he said the goal sat 'right at the top' of his career. 'With what's on the line for us, with we've had to go through this campaign, and obviously, playing against the nation that we haven't beat in I don't know how many years,' he said. 'We're always the underdog and always expected to lose, but we always have belief within those four walls. This is right up there in my green and gold career.' His winner against Japan was just his third Socceroos goal in more than 80 games, and first for the national team in more than a decade. When Behich's goal hit the back of the net, Socceroos coach Tony Popovic sunk down and exalted a scream of pure passion and delight, before he was mobbed by his coaching staff. 'As soon as he hit it, I just had a great vantage point there. I could see the ball was going as soon as it left his foot, just a wonderful goal,' Popovic said. Almost six years to the day Popovic watched his Perth Glory side fall in an A-League grand final at Optus Stadium on penalties, he oversaw the national team take a massive stride towards sealing their place at a World Cup. 'A special night. The outpouring of emotions when we scored, and obviously after the game — it's a moment I'll always remember,' Popovic said. 'Emotions were obviously very high, I think for many reasons. We know what we're aiming to do is to get direct qualification. 'You're playing the best team in Asia at the moment, and you win it so late — you can't script it better than that, although, it's obviously a nervous 90 minutes before it gets to that point. 'I'm very happy for everyone involved with the Socceroos: the FA the board, chairman, CEO, all the way down. 'It's been a really intense period since I've come in, but everyone's embraced what we're aiming to do. We're very close now to achieving our goal.'
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
90th minute STUNNER seals World Cup spot
Football: Sooceroos left back Aziz Behich scored his first international goal in 13 years to catapult Australia into the World Cup with a 90th minute stunner on his weak foot.
