Let us, for a moment, set aside the fact that Mark Nawaqanitawase has, in his short NRL stint, scored his tries at a rate comparable or better than the likes of Alex Johnston, Ken Irvine, Harold Horder or Reg Gasnier.
What sets Nawaqanitawase apart is not the volume and frequency of his four-pointers, but the manner in which they are scored. In a game ruled by numbers, there is no statistic that adequately captures the sheer freakishness of many of the Roosters wingerโs tries. Like the audacious intercept he took against Penrith last weekend.
โIโve had front-row seats, so Iโve enjoyed them all,โ says Nawaqanitawaseโs centre partner, Robert Toia.
โItโs hard to pick one [favourite], but thereโs definitely the Bulldogs one โฆ โ
Ah, the Bulldogs one. Judged as last yearโs Dally M try of the year, some pundits have even hailed it the greatest try in history. Working in an impossibly tight channel, โMarky Markโ kicked ahead for himself โ avoiding the sideline, the Canterbury cover defence and the corner post โ to somehow regather and ground the Steeden in-goal.
โI just saw the replay last night again on social media,โ Toia continues. โItโs crazy to think what he can do. To me, itโs not what he can do, itโs what we canโt do. That was the great commentary I heard from someone calling the game. Itโs about what we canโt do.โ
Nawaqanitawase can seemingly do it all. He can beat a defender with power or speed. He can leap over the top of them or pass around them. The ball looks tiny when he waves it about with one hand.
โNothing really surprises me any more with Mark,โ Roosters captain James Tedesco says. โHe just comes up with that stuff pretty frequently, whether itโs at training or in a game.
โThe flick pass โ people can do them โ but to put them on the money in a high-pressure situation, heโs done it time and time again. So that stuff is really cool.
โHonestly, he just backs himself in, and it comes off. Thereโs no second-guessing, and he obviously does a lot of practice, but heโs very skilful with the ball. Just the confidence he has to play is something that we really enjoy.โ
Tedesco recalled his part in Nawaqanitawaseโs miracle against the Bulldogs, describing it as โthe most freakish thing Iโve seen on a footy field.โ
โHis try of the year last year โ I threw it out to him to kick it through and kick it off his leg.
โIf I throw it out to him, Iโm just expecting the ball to somehow come back to me on the inside. He says that for him and Bobby [Toia], weโve just got to get the ball out to him more often so they can create some magic because those two are pretty special. Itโs cool to play with talent like that.โ
Nawaqanitawaseโs rugby league career is nearing an end. Saturdayโs semi-final clash against Cronulla could mark his last match if the Roosters lose, given he is switching back to the 15-man code. Yet within just two years, the former Wallaby has given rugby league dozens of highlight moments. Which makes it difficult for his teammates to pick out just one favourite.
โOh, to be honest, there are too many,โ Siua Wong says.
โMy favourite moment is just the light he brings into whatever room he walks in every day. Itโs pretty special. The way he is as a player is probably the way he is off the field. Heโs very full of joy and energy. Thatโs something definitely that Iโve noticed since heโs been here.โ
When heโs not scoring tries himself, heโs setting up his teammates. Wong recalled him batting the ball back for him to score against Melbourne earlier this season.
โI think any time you kick to him, heโs either going to come down with it or heโs going to bat it back to someone else. And I was lucky enough to be one of those people โฆ
โItโs so funny. Heโs done so many freakish moments, but we see it so much at training that it just becomes normal to us.โ
Itโs fitting that Nawaqanitawase is pitted against one of his great rivals. His personal battle with Sharks counterpart Ronaldo Mulitalo at Allianz Stadium is a throwback to when wingers Adam โMad Dogโ MacDougall and Wendell Sailor famously duelled with each other for bragging rights.
The pair were involved in a memorable clash when the sides last met, with two-try hero Nawaqanitawase coming out on top.
โYeah, it probably sucked for me after the game, because obviously no one likes to lose, eh?โ Multilato says.
โEveryone loves it, but every gameโs important for me. I take it really personally, and thatโs probably one of the many [rivalries] that Iโve had throughout my career.โ
The NSW flanker has scored 41 tries in the NRL in 44 games. To put that strike rate of 0.93 tries a match into perspective, it is comparable to some of the most prolific finishers of all time in the NRL or NSWRL: Horder (152 tries in 136 games, 1.12 tries a game), Irvine (212 tries in 236 games, 0.9 tries a game), Johnston (240 tries in 265 games, 0.91 tries a game), Dave Brown (93 tries in 94 games, 0.99 tries a game) and Gasnier (127 tries in 124 games, 1.02 tries a game).
One can only wonder how many he would have finished with if he had begun and ended his footballing career in rugby league.
โMarkโs switch to the NRL has been amazing to watch,โ says his agent, Andrew Fairbairn.
โThe risk he took in departing union as the first Wallaby in the professional era to switch across has been validated in many ways.
โRepresenting the Kangaroos in the 2025 Ashes and also the NSW Blues in the 2026 State of Origin winning series, all of the highlights and success are drawn from the hard work of both Mark and the whole Roosters program.โ
The biggest stage doesnโt faze Nawaqanitawase. Whether it be representing Australia in league, union or at the Olympics, the 26-year-old has stepped up. Ditto when pulling on the sky blue jersey for NSW in State of Origin.
โI feel like he dominated the game leading up to Origin; I thought he was outstanding,โ Roosters coach Trent Robinson says.
โHe offered a point-of-difference angle on what wingers can do in the game. He fought really hard out of Origin, and I thought he came back really well. What he did for us last week โ along with Reece Robson โ he was our best on ground last week, and the players voted that way. Heโs quite free in big moments, and that bodes well for this weekend.โ
But itโs not just the four-pointers that have endeared him to his Roosters teammates.
โYou know what? Iโll throw a wild card out there,โ says Salesi Foketi when asked for a favourite Nawaqanitawase moment.
โThereโs a thing called an axe from marker, where you go tackle someone from marker. And I saw Marky do one a couple of weeks back now.
โIโve never seen Marky do that. I think thatโs the best thing Markyโs done all year.โ
Victor Radley, who also played alongside Nawaqanitawase at Origin level, summed it up this way.
โI just love how tough he is, especially when heโs back with his carries,โ he says. โHeโs got everything. Heโs the most lovable bloke, kindest bloke, funny. Heโs the perfect man.โ
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