Giant Roosters forward De La Salle Va’a is set to ask the club for a release so he can pursue an NFL career.
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In his bid to become the next Jordan Mailata, Va’a will ask the Roosters, who he is contracted to until the end of 2027, for 10 weeks off to try and impress scouts via the NFL’s International Pathways Program.
Va’a, has played three first grade games for the Roosters, one in each season from 2024 with his most recent appearance for the tricolours in Round 27 against Souths.
Standing at 200cm and weighing 120kg, Va’a told the Sydney Morning Herald that there had been interest from the NFL.
“They’ve reached out and invited me to some trials. I think I’d be silly to not at least give it a crack, see how it goes. Obviously, I still have commitments here with the Roosters, and when the time comes, I’ll have those conversations with them. I think it would be silly of me not to at least have a crack,” he said.
“The plan is to ask for a 10-week release (from the Roosters) because if I make it through to the camp, the IPP, that goes for 10 weeks.”
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Mailata was forced out of rugby league after playing for Souths in the under 20s.
His 203cm frame and 147kg weight made him too big to play rugby league and keep up with the pace of the game, but the NFL has suited him.
He’s won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and the offensive tackle’s last contract was worth upwards of $100 million.
The last NRL player to make an NFL team was Jarryd Hayne who impressed the San Francisco 49ers enough to offer him a contract and he went on to make eight appearances before being cut from the squad.
Va’a, 21, knows he will face a difficult task trying to earn an NFL deal.
“It’s very rare that you see players go over and successfully make it … so why not give it a crack and try to follow in their footsteps?” Va’a said.
“Obviously, I’m big enough to play offensive line if I put on some size, but they said, based off the video footage, they felt my athleticism could also put me in potentially another position. So, I guess I’ll have to wait until they see me in person and make that decision for themselves.”
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WAYNE’S HEARTBREAKING REALITY FOR DODD
Former South Sydney halfback Lewis Dodd has revealed the painful moment he realised he wasn’t going to make it in the NRL.
In May, 2024, Dodd signed a three-year, $2 million deal with Souths but he quickly realised he wasn’t in the club’s long-term plans under new coach Wayne Bennett.
Dodd arrived at Souths as a Super League Grand Final-winning halfback at powerhouse club St Helens, but less than 18 months later he was released by the Rabbitohs.
He only played six games for the club when Bennett gave him some crushing news.
Speaking on The Nova Sport Podcast, Dodd said Bennett told him: “I just don’t see you as my halfback in this team.”
While upset, he said he didn’t blame the super coach and still had plenty of respect for him.
“I can’t be angry at someone who’s made a decision. Yes, it’s not in my favour, but I can’t be angry at them,” Dodd said.
“Did I do everything possible to give myself the best possible chance to play and play well? Probably not, I probably wasn’t there mentally to do that.”
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Dodd didn’t get off to a good start at Souths after a poor performance in the pre-season Charity Shield match where he copped a suspension.
“I had a shocker, I was awful,” he said.
“I knew I could play at this level, but I just wasn’t showing it.”
Dodd rang his father back home in England and told him he was “miles off” the pace in Australia and couldn’t figure out why.
“I wasn’t angry towards anyone else, it was more myself. It was like, why am I not getting it?” he said.
“I’m missing stuff I normally see. I’m not taking stuff on I normally take. I thought something’s not right here.”
Dodd praised Souths superstar Latrell Mitchell, saying he protected him from the Australian media, which is more present in the NRL than the Super League.
“I just knew as soon as the game (Charity Shield) finished, three or four cameras were around me. To be fair to Latrell, he stood in the way of the cameras and told them to move away,” Dodd said.
“He’s completely misunderstood. He’s such a nice guy, like a great partner, a great dad, great friend, great teammate.
“For someone as famous in Australia as him, he was unbelievable with me.”
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Dodd’s suspension in the Charity Shield meant he missed the first game of the season against the Dolphins, and from there he we was out of favour.
“It got to the mid-year and I sort of knew I wasn’t playing regardless,” he said.
Even while playing at a lower level in the NSW Cup, Dodd was struggling to find his best form.
Bennett knew he couldn’t keep a $700,000 halfback in reserve grade so he moved Dodd on and he’s now playing for Catalans Dragons in the Super League.
“One game I was playing well, the next game was a bit of a struggle,” Dodd said.
“The stuff he (Bennett) taught me and us as a group I still use now.”