Less than 12 months ago, Siua Wong was working towards earning a starting spot in the North Sydney Bears’ NSW Cup second row after captaining the Roosters’ SG Ball team to the Grand Final.
This week, he has been named to make his NRL Debut as Sydney Rooster 1219, following a series of stand-out performances in the reserve grade competition.
The proud Roosters Academy product, whose hard-working nature and powerful defence is adored by many, certainly didn’t expect to receive the opportunity to play in the NRL at age 20.
“Looking back, the transition from playing against boys my own age to playing against men last year was really different,” he reflected.
“It wasn’t as difficult as what I expected it to be, because I had experience training with first grade.”
“Robbo, the other coaching staff and some of the more senior players, they really helped guide me and gave me lots of good advice last year. It made the transition so much easier.”
Head of Academy, Mitchell Aubusson, said Wong's dedication to the game has been pivotal to his success at such a young age.
"It’s been great to watch Siua’s progression through the Sydney Roosters pathway and academy system, he has worked very hard to earn his spot, showing his strength and leadership both on and off the field," Aubusson said.
Reflecting on his time in the Academy, the 20-year-old explained the instrumental role Aubusson and Jake Friend played his development as a person and a player.
“I’m super grateful that I got to be a part of the first ever Roosters Academy last year, it was such a good experience,” he said.
“Aubo and Friendy have been so helpful, they’ve been giving us everything they can to help with our development as players and as men too.
“Being able to pick at their brains and their experiences, Aubo has helped me so much with simple stuff like how I should defend as an edge.
“Friendy helped a lot with the leadership side of it, he gave me advice about captaining the SG Ball team and about how to lead from the front and lead by example.”
Wong’s diligence was rewarded with a call-up to represent the Fiji Bati at the Rugby League World Cup, an experience he says he will cherish forever.
“My father was born in Fiji, my Grandmother is Tongan and my Grandfather is Fijian Chinese, I didn’t really expect to get selected for any team to be honest, I was just excited to be watching the World Cup,” he said.
“Then I got the call up at the beginning of October to go over and play, that was very surreal.
“I knew in my heart that I wanted to represent Fiji while my Grandfather is still alive. Me playing for Fiji was all about giving back to my family.”
Wong played every single minute of Fiji’s four-game World Cup campaign, averaging 111 run metres per match while laying a solid platform in defence with a 94.7% tackle efficiency rating.
“The main thing I took from that experience, besides the footy part, was actually the culture, I got to learn more about my Fijian heritage and that’s something I hold dear to me," he said.
“Especially being of multiple Polynesian cultures, I think being able to explore all of them and get to know more about it helps me understand who I am and where I come from as well.
“Viliame Kikau, Api Koroisau and Sunia Turuva showed me so much more about the culture and the game and in the small amount of time we had together I learned so much from that entire experience.”
This season, Wong has maintained superb form in Tony Barnes’ team, beginning the year in the second row before cementing the starting lock position.
He currently features in the NSW Cup’s top five for run metres, post contact metres, tackles, support plays and decoy runs – a testament to his persistence and ability to lead by example.
Roosters’ vice-captain Luke Keary was quick to commend Wong on his natural flair, explaining that he’s a welcomed addition to the line-up this week.
“He’s a really good young player…he’s got a really good grounding,” Keary said.
“He’s worked really hard in the pre-season and he’s been playing some really good footy too.”
If his recent NSW Cup performances are anything to go by, expect Wong to rise to the occasion when he makes his NRL debut.
