Rugby Australia boss told to grow up over Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s defection from the NRL

The war of words following Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s defection to the Wallabies has continued, with veteran rugby league journalist Paul Kent stating Rugby Australia (RA) boss Hamish McLennan needs to ‘grow up and be a man.’

Speaking on NRL 360, co-host Kent didn’t mince his words after McLennan teased more NRL players could follow Suaalii’s lead.

The 19-year-old has penned a $4.8million three-year deal with Rugby Australia with the view of playing the British and Irish Lions in 2025 and the Rugby World Cup on home soil two years later. 

Suaalii will remain under contract with the Roosters the next two NRL seasons. 

After Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould declared earlier this week: ‘Go now. Don’t let the door hit you on the arse on the way out. Go. Go now,’ tensions have been mounting between the two rival footy codes.

Speaking on NRL 360, Kent didn’t mince his words after Hamish McLennan (pictured) teased that more NRL players could follow Akuso Suaalii’s lead

McLennan labelled a series of other comments – including a cheeky swipe from Roosters hooker Brandon Smith – ‘thuggish.’

His comments got under the skin of Kent, who took aim at the RA boss on Wednesday.

‘He’s the chairman, I’ve never heard of him before last week but I’ll tell you what, he’s got a bit of an issue this bloke,’ Kent said.

‘He’s [McLennan] driven by ego and he continues to talk about rugby league like … all this bulls**t the rugby people carry on about, ‘good on you playing an Eastern seaboard game — we travel the world’. Well good luck to you. The fact is, this [Australia] is where we live. 

‘This whole Suaalii situation is leveraging rugby league’s popularity, so don’t try to s**tpot rugby league and call it a small game. The fact is the athletes are better.’

Kent went onto reference comments from Roosters coach Trent Robinson:  ‘As he said, of any rugby code, league or union, anywhere in the world, this is the premier competition — that’s the fact. 

‘That’s why they come here and that’s why they admire the way these guys play football.

‘And he tries to get a little publicity off rugby league, I just think the sooner he can shut up the better for everybody.’

Suaalii, 19, has defected to the ARU on a bumper three-year deal from 2025 worth $4.8million

Kent went onto add: ‘He called rugby league people thugs today because they weren’t happy with the way this deal was done. 

‘He was the one who did the little clandestine deal and didn’t want rugby league people to know what was going on. 

‘Come on, grow up and be a man about it.’