“The sky is the limit for him. Only he can tell you[how far he will go]. Since he could walk he was playing football.”

Amani said he was never keen to take on Joseph in the backyard games of football and backed his nephew to take the NRL by storm.

“He is doing all right with the hype;he knows where he is going,” Amani said. “We just let him do what he wants to do. I can’t wait[to see him play first grade]. He is ready.”

Plenty of the senior Roosters watched the game with Angus Crichton,who,like Suaalii,was a schoolboy rugby sensation,admitting:“He’s a really good kid. I can’t say a bad word about him. And the way he trains and carries himself as a man,he’s got a really bright future. He’s really humble and I’m looking forward to playing alongside him at some point and watching him grow.”

Never had a rookie attracted so many headlines before a trial game. It will be standing room only when Suaalii fronts the press for the first time on Monday.

The Roosters have done their best to keep a lid on the hype,but the interest was always going to be there after the fierce bidding war that took place between South Sydney and Rugby Australia before Nick Politis and the Roosters snuck under both their guards.

Suaalii started the game at right centre and will have to bide his time behind New Zealand international Joey Manu. The NRL has already asked the Roosters for more information before granting their wish to have Suaalii play in the NRL before his 18th birthday in August.

Suaalii knocked on with his first touch as he went up for a bomb,crunched opposite centre Seb Kris on another occasion and sent a brief scare through the camp when he got up holding his right hand midway through the first half. A trainer quickly attended to The King’s School Year 12 student before he soldiered on.

The only people more relieved than his family were the punters across the road at the local RSL enjoying the $4.20 schooners during happy hour.

Halfback Sam Walker was another teenager heading into the trial with a lot of talk about his prospects,but the youngster was a late scratching and saved for the Roosters’ main trial.