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<\/p>\nWill Mark Nawaqanitawase leave behind a legacy in the NRL?<\/p>\n
The Roosters superstar scored a double in his side\u2019s 19-18 grand final win on Sunday, capping off a stellar season for the talented winger that included an Origin series victory.<\/p>\n
After joining the Roosters in 2024 and playing a single game, the 26-year-old quickly cemented his place as one of the game\u2019s most exciting and dangerous players.<\/p>\n
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Get the expert take on NRL Grand Final Day with FOX LEAGUE\u2019s extensive coverage, plus full and mini replays available post-game on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n However, he is set to depart for rugby union, signing a lucrative contract to play for Saitama Wild Knight in Japan.<\/p>\n For The Australian\u2019s Brent Read, Nawaqanitawase hasn\u2019t left a lasting influence on the game of rugby league during his short stint.<\/p>\n \u201cHe won\u2019t leave a legacy, no,\u201d Read said on NRL360 on Monday night.<\/p>\n \u201cHe won a comp, I suppose all of those players who played in that grand final and won a comp have some form of legacy with the club they are at.<\/p>\n \u201cDoggy (Dean Ritchie) said he would \u2018leave a legacy in rugby league\u2019. I wouldn\u2019t go that far, as I said, you can\u2019t leave a legacy playing two seasons.\u201d<\/p>\n However, The Daily Telegraph\u2019s Dean Ritchie hit back with a big claim.<\/p>\n \u201cReady, you are being really insulting to him. He\u2019s won an Origin decider, he\u2019s won a premiership, he\u2019s played for Australia,\u201d Ritchie said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think to say won\u2019t leave a legacy, I think is greatly insulting to a bloke that probably had the biggest influence on yesterday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!<\/a><\/p>\n Anasta: “You got it wrong!” | 00:40<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I include James Tedesco, I think without him they don\u2019t win that game.\u201d<\/p>\n Previously, Read had revealed he believed that Nawaqanitawase would be forgotten by the NRL \u2014 but the Roosters certainly don\u2019t agree.<\/p>\n Club supremo Nick Politis has reportedly already sat down with his manage to discuss a potential return after his union contract expires in 2028.<\/p>\n Then after the grand final, Read wrote in a Code Sports article<\/a>: \u201cIn the lead-up to Sunday night\u2019s grand final, this journalist had the temerity to suggest that rugby union-bound Nawaqanitawase would be quickly forgotten.<\/p>\n \u201cHis antics on Sunday night won\u2019t be. He has been a matchwinner for the Roosters and it\u2019s not often you can say that about a winger.\u201d<\/p>\n Doubling down on the sentiment on Monday night by saying: \u201cWell I\u2019ve taken it back and said he wouldn\u2019t be forgotten.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I said he would be quickly forgotten, that was over the top, I probably went a little bit too far.<\/p>\n GF PLAYER RATINGS<\/p>\n ROOSTERS: Recruit goes down in NRL folklore; star changes the game<\/a><\/p>\n