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NRL 2021: Roosters raid Broncos to sign Xavier and De La Salle Va’a

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  • NRL 2021: Roosters raid Broncos to sign Xavier and De La Salle Va’a

    The Roosters have struck another blow on the embattled Broncos by attacking Brisbane’s Academy to successfully poach two of the club’s most promising front-rowers.

    Not content with luring halfback whizkid Sam Walker to Bondi, the Roosters have plundered Brisbane’s junior ranks yet again to snare the prized signatures of monster front-row brothers Xavier and De La Salle Va’a.

    The Broncos’ Elite Player Development system has been under siege in recent years with the Roosters poaching Walker, the Warriors stealing Reece Walsh and the Bulldogs going close to attracting Brendan Piakura.

    Now the Roosters have ambushed the Broncos once again.

    The Toowoomba hulks are so gifted they are also Queensland junior boxing champions, but it was their footballing prowess that had four NRL clubs — the Broncos, Roosters, Cowboys and Cronulla — vying for their services.

    Brisbane were desperate to keep the off-contract duo, but the Roosters have delivered another one-two punch on the Broncos, securing the Va’a siblings on three-year deals until the end of 2024.

    At 193cm and 116kg, hulking Xavier made his Toowoomba first-grade debut at age 17 last week and sparred with Paul Gallen in June to help the Cronulla legend prepare for his heavyweight bout against Justis Huni.

    Younger brother De La Salle is one of the biggest teenagers in Australian sport, with the 194cm and 115kg giant already bigger than many NRL forwards at the tender age of 15.

    The Broncos viewed the Va’a brothers as future NRL talents, but the boom forwards have opted to join Walker at the Bondi powerhouse in another hammer blow for Brisbane’s recruitment chiefs.

    The Broncos have hit back against poaching rivals this season, retaining a host of young guns headlined by Selwyn Cobbo, TC Robati, Brendan Piakura, Tesi Niu and Xavier Willison.

    “It’s a great coup for the Roosters,” said the Va’a siblings’ manager Shaun Pyne, also the agent of Queensland Origin superstar Cameron Munster.

    “They are guns on the football field and in the boxing ring.

    “Xavier and De La Salle both qualified for the World Youth Championships in boxing last year, but they are keen to make it in the NRL.

    “Xavier has sparred Paul Gallen and would fight him in a heartbeat. He would be happy to fight Payne Haas or Josh Papalii (NRL props).

    “They are enormous boys and very good front-rowers.

    “Brisbane wanted to keep them, but their offer couldn’t compete with the Roosters.

    “Brisbane have some good young forwards coming through in Payne Haas, Tom Flegler and Xavier Willison, so the Va’a boys were excited about the opportunity to learn in the Roosters system.”

    The Roosters were so keen to pull off a poaching raid that coach Trent Robinson met with the Va’a brothers on the Gold Coast earlier this year before NRL clubs were forced into a Covid bubble.

    “The boys were blown away by having dinner with Trent and Daniel Anderson (recruitment chief) was the one at the Roosters who scouted them,” Pyne said.

    “They come from a great family. Their mum is a doctor and both boys want to go to university. Xavier wants to study psychology and De La Salle wants to become a doctor.

    “The opportunity to be mentored by Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (veteran Roosters prop) was a huge factor.
    “Xavier and De La Salle also hope to work with Sonny Bill Williams (Roosters legend), not only with their football but their boxing careers.

    “Xavier is a very good prop. He has good leg speed and runs hard, he is a no-frills front-rower and he has the ability to offload. He will get a great education at the Roosters.”

  • #2

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    • #3

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      • #4
        > “They come from a great family. Their mum is a doctor and both boys want to go to university. Xavier wants to study psychology and De La Salle wants to become a doctor.

        Roosters = the club for doctors and lawyers now.

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        • #5
          Fark, big boys

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          • #6
            Excellent, nice to pinch from them and Souths.

            but are they big enough for bondi boy??

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            • #7
              Big boys.
              Bondi Boy will be happy!

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              • #8
                I thought they signed two Schools when i saw the heading -i.e Xavier College and De La Salle ( a number of Schools with these names)

                So am I correct in reading that one is 17 (Xavier) and the other is 15 ( De La Salle) signed to 3 year deals - Obviously will be playing junior reps next season - Harold Matthews (under 16's or 17's ) and SG Ball (under 18's or 19's) - maybe Jersey Flegg (Under 20's or 21's) for Xavier.

                Not sure what the age groups will be for Junior reps next year as under 17's for Harold Matthews - Under 19's for SG Ball and Under 21's for Jersey Flegg this year - Usually under 16's for Harold Matthews - Under 18's for SG Ball and under 20's for Jersey Flegg
                Last edited by King Salvo; 08-20-2021, 09:40 AM.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by crikey chris View Post
                  Big boys.
                  Bondi Boy will be happy!
                  He is!
                  Big is better.
                  115kg and 116kg
                  190+ cm
                  I knew they were out there somewhere.
                  Big is the future.

                  Someone in this forum suggested starting with S- Fifita.
                  I would, he just needs to be taught how to deal with sledging and roughing up.
                  Last edited by bondi.boy; 08-20-2021, 09:44 AM.

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                  • #10
                    what an article - makes us sound like viet cong guerillas. striking blows, poaching raids, ambushes.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by zac View Post
                      what an article - makes us sound like viet cong guerillas. striking blows, poaching raids, ambushes.
                      NRL is a *war*.

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                      • #12
                        Loving the hate on Twitter.

                        We are making the Taliban look like Saints.
                        Exonerate the West Memphis Three - www.wm3.org

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                        • #13
                          Originally posted by Roosterfarian View Post
                          Loving the hate on Twitter.

                          We are making the Taliban look like Saints.
                          This wins post of the year

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                          • #14
                            That's what succession planning looks like. Well done Roosters.
                            "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

                            Thomas Jefferson

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                            • #15
                              Rooster haters on Twitter claiming we just buy players and don’t develop..

                              What the idiots don’t understand is our entire current first grade team apart from Teddy and JWH (debatable) has been developed by the Club to become household names..

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