A secret contract offer prepared by South Sydney for boom teenager Joseph Suaalii has been revealed.
Sydney Morning Herald columnist and 9News reporter Danny Weidler shed light on the deal that was worth $2.7 million over three years.
The Rabbitohs had reportedly prepared the offer in June, and had kept it up their sleeve as a “plan B” if Latrell Mitchell opted to leave the club.
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Ultimately Mitchell signed a new long-term deal in December, and South Sydney has now withdrawn any interest in luring Suaalii back to the burrow.
Suaalii was a Rabbitohs junior before being poached by bitter cross-town rivals the Roosters in 2020, where he has now played 21 NRL games in the last two seasons.
But at 19 years old he remains one of the hottest properties in rugby league, and is yet to commit to a contract option for 2024 in his Chooks deal.
While Suaalii has played the majority of his NRL career to date on the wing, he is viewed by most as a future superstar at fullback.
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Mitchell now owns the No.1 jumper at South Sydney and so the Bunnies have little need for both big-money players on their books.
But the Redfern club was prepared to pay Suaalii $800,000 in 2024, $900,000 in 2025, and $1 million in 2026 – according to the Herald – if Mitchell left.
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