Rugby convert faces toughest NRL test
It took Mark Nawaqanitawase just six minutes to show footy fans what all the hype was about, but he needs a bit more time to convince one important person that he should be allowed to play in the NRL with his mum still protective of her “baby” boy.
The former Wallaby was never meant to play first grade this season after he joined the Roosters having represented Australia in rugby sevens at the Paris Olympics just six weeks ago.
But after going from the Stade de France to Wentworth Park for reserve grade, Nawaqanitawase landed at another Olympics venue as he stole the show at Accor Stadium on his NRL debut.
His 80 minutes on the right wing in the 36-28 win over Souths left plenty of clues about how good he will be after a proper pre-season, with more than 100 family members and friends in the crowd to cheer him on.
His mum organised that bay of supporters, but Nawaqanitawase is still trying to win over her support when it comes to the NRL.
“She wasn’t very keen on me playing league. Mums are mums and I’m her baby so she doesn’t want to see her kids get hurt or bashed up. I guess that’s every mum,” he said.
“She didn’t like the thought of me getting into a brutal game so she’s still trying to get used to it. Hopefully that game ticks one box and it can slowly build whenever I get another opportunity.”
There was nothing slow about his impact on the contest with the former Wallabies winger flying through the air to catch a Luke Keary bomb to open the scoring after six minutes.
It was a moment he would have thought about over and over again while dreaming about his debut, but it still had him pinching himself given he made his NSW Cup debut just last month.
“I guess what will be will be, and that was the moment,” he said.
“I was very fortunate that our team was moving up to the try line and it just happened that the kick was the right option. I just threw myself to it and gave it all I had. It was a good start for me.
“You dream about it sometimes, but I dream more about the win to start. Wins are hard to come by and I’m just lucky to be on a team that got the win and can hopefully get many more.”
The Roosters have no shortage of giants in the outside backs, with Nawaqanitawase excited about the prospect of being a genuine attacking threat under kicks near the try line.
“It’s one of the parts of the game that I was very interested in with the fifth and sixth tackles and the number of kicks that would come from that play,” he said.
“Using my aerial skills is something I thought I could bring to the game, and I’m happy that I was able to execute it for the boys and the team.”
Nawaqanitawase is unlikely to feature in the finals with Daniel Tupou and Dom Young set to return next week, but his debut suggests he’s well ahead of schedule in terms of his rugby league development which bodes well for 2025.
He looked good on kick returns when he combined with rugby-bound Joseph Manu, with Roosters coach Trent Robinson confident he’s only scratched the surface.
“Everyone’s [wondering] ‘is he going to adapt to the game, is he going to get lost’... and he doesn’t look out of place at all,” he said.
“He’s very comfortable on a lot of the decision-making plays around the things that we do a little bit differently, he just looks comfortable.
“That’s his fourth game of rugby league since he was 15. It’s a pretty good job. That means he’s a quality player and he’ll continue to get better.”
Skipper James Tedesco had a blinder at the back in their final game before the finals and was wowed by what his new teammate was able to do after just a month with the squad.
“It’s tough to come in as a winger,” he said.
“I thought he handled those first-play carries, he didn’t look out of place. It’s a credit to him, he’s only come in a month ago and picked up the game really quickly.
“Always eager to learn and ask questions, I thought he was awesome tonight for a debut, his first game of rugby league in his career. I thought he was really strong.”
