“So they should desperately try and figure out a way to have Marky back. They should have him. If he’s playing in the Top 14, I’ve got no issue with that: ‘Come back and be in a Wallaby jersey’. No problem.”
The Roosters are desperate to extend his contract at the NRL club, but Nawaqanitawase has stressed several times he is in no rush to make a decision and will consider his options at the end of the year. Informed sources say there are no active talks between Rugby Australia and Nawaqanitawase’s camp.
Mark Nawaqanitawase scores a try against France in 2023.Credit: Getty
But with the Roosters reportedly set to offer Nawaqanitawase an increased salary of $700,000 a season, Rugby Australia’s willingness – and capacity – to match that sort of money could be a sticking point; particularly given Suaalii’s mountainous $1.6 million-a-year salary and with whizkid Jorgensen off-contract in 2026 and likely to command a sizeable upgrade to his current $500,000-a-year deal.
An alternative option for Nawaqanitawase is to sign a lucrative contract in Japanese or French rugby for 2026-27, and still be eligible for Wallabies’ selection from overseas.
Whatever the path, Hooper believes Rugby Australia should mapping out a plan with Nawaqanitawase to have him in rugby and available for the 2027 tournament.
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“Throw a great strategy at him,” Hooper said on Inside Line. “That’s not just financial. We just talked about how we can’t just splash cash, and I agree with that. So you can’t just go and throw him Suaalii money. We don’t have enough.
“So can you be really creative like they’re being at the moment with Will Skelton? Yeah, they certainly can. Can he be going to play for La Rochelle and earn a truckload?
“And then he’s in a rugby union frame of mind, and ready to come back here and perform in a home World Cup? I think they absolutely should be really trying to piece that together.
“We saw it at the last World Cup. He was arguably one of the Wallabies’ best players over in France. Had a really great season in the jersey there. And then we lose him not too long after. The things he’s doing on the footy field, you can’t train that into guys.
“That is sheer talent that would be great to be in a Wallaby jersey. So absolutely they should be considering how they get someone like that back.”
Hooper, who was a teammate of Nawaqanitawase at the Waratahs and with the Wallabies, said he was “the closest thing to Israel Folau” that he played with.
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