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The Wallabies\u2019 Bledisloe Cup drought now stands at 24 years, but dual international Michael O\u2019Connor believes Mark Nawaqanitawase\u2019s extraordinary two-year stint in rugby league proves the 15-a-side game in Australia still produces world-class talent.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look at his ability and what he\u2019s been able to do; to me, it reflects really well on rugby that we have a player like him come over to rugby league,\u201d O\u2019Connor said. \u201cThere are quite a lot of sceptics in rugby league around rugby union, and to see how he\u2019s dominated the competition, I think it\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792473262_26_856884c2adc0a609ccf4a6cbe770cd16a89fe73a.jpeg\")
Mark Nawaqanitawase and Robert Toia celebrate grand final glory.Getty Images<\/p>\n
Nawaqanitawase\u2019s decision to sign with the Roosters following the Wallabies\u2019 disastrous 2023 World Cup campaign caused a stir in Australian rugby.<\/p>\n
Rugby Australia boss Phil Waugh was shocked the talented back, who had only broken into the Wallabies in late 2022, was jumping codes just 12 months later.<\/p>\n
But the athletic winger, who scored twice on his Super Rugby debut in 2020 and also bagged a double in his third Test against Wales in Cardiff, never looked back.<\/p>\n
Nawaqanitawase made an immediate impression in the NRL, soaring high against South Sydney to score on debut.<\/p>\n
He then topped the tryscorers list in 2025 (with 24) to earn Kangaroos selection for the Ashes in England, before bowing out with an Origin series win and an NRL premiership, having scored twice in the Roosters\u2019 19-18 grand final win over Newcastle, to cap an incredible 26 months.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor, who played 13 Tests for the Wallabies before scoring 87 tries across 10 seasons of rugby league for St George and Manly, said he wasn\u2019t shocked Nawaqanitawase had scaled such heights, having first seen him during his short second stint as a selector with the Wallabies in 2019.<\/p>\n
But he added that the player returning to rugby, where he will join Japanese League One club Saitama Panasonic Wild Knights, was better than the one who left rugby in mid-2024 following the Paris Olympics.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Roosters certainly did their homework when they signed him,\u201d O\u2019Connor said.<\/p>\n
![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792473264_81_aa384f45368c05325a159479d6b28d24c4d59b66.jpeg\")
Michael O\u2019Connor believes Mark Nawaqanitawase\u2019s successful transition bodes well for rugby union in Australia.Rugby AU Media\/Stuart Walmsley<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a real athlete, and that was apparent even when I was a selector.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe made the Australian under-20 squad that went over to Argentina in 2019. He was scoring tries, he had a great instinct for the game and where the ball was, and his visual awareness was through the roof. But I think he\u2019s just grown into a man, and he\u2019s a far more complete footballer now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think his move to rugby league has been a good thing; it certainly has brushed up some areas of his game \u2026 he\u2019ll go back up with a lot of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether the Wallabies will enjoy the fruits of Nawaqanitawase\u2019s two years in rugby league remains to be seen.<\/p>\n
![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792473265_110_ca87fed399e3da48f280c595141723e3910561db1ad220ab52271890960a701f.jpeg\")
Mark Nawaqanitawase is a better player now than he was when he left rugby union in 2024, according to Michael O\u2019Connor.Chris Hyde<\/p>\n
Wallabies coach Les Kiss wanted to pick the 26-year-old for next month\u2019s Nations Championship campaign in the United Kingdom, but Nawaqanitawase ruled himself out after seeking time off.<\/p>\n
The decision means Nawaqanitawase could run out for Fiji or Italy next year, given the outside back would have missed the last three years of international rugby.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor said Nawaqanitawase\u2019s availability would be critical for the Wallabies if they wanted to go deep at next year\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a World Cup, it\u2019s just apparent that you need world-class players, and a lot of them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u2018He\u2019s a far more complete footballer now.\u2019<\/p>\n
Michael O\u2019Connor on Mark Nawaqanitawase<\/p>\n
\u201cJust watching New Zealand on the weekend, just the power of their lineup, there\u2019s just no weaknesses, and that\u2019s where we need to go. We need to get a complement of players who\u2019ve played together and got no weaknesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a world-class player, and that\u2019s what we need. When we\u2019ve had success in the past, we\u2019ve had world-class players.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Nawaqanitawase might be unavailable for the Wallabies, fellow Origin cross-code star Zac Lomax could get the chance to push for a national call-up on Sunday when Australia A takes on the USA Eagles in Nashville.<\/p>\n
Lomax will be hoping to link up with another former Origin star, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who will later this week be named for his third spring tour.<\/p>\n
![\"Joseph-Aukuso](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792473267_404_c40d3049c7b1aa599a825bf208eabe88d778c19f.jpeg\")
Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on the attack against the All Blacks on Saturday.Getty Images<\/p>\n
O\u2019Connor said he felt Suaalii, who was exposed defensively during the Wallabies\u2019 43-21 defeat in Sydney on Saturday, had been harshly rated since being catapulted into the Australian team in late 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel a bit sorry for him in a way,\u201d O\u2019Connor said.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1792473268_51_e6c047be477cb4d92d7485d796952565149088e4.jpeg\")
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