IT IS OVER: Mark Nawaqanitawase to leave Sydney Roosters after 2026 season
In a move that has sent shockwaves through the rugby league world, winger Mark Nawaqanitawase has informed the Sydney Roosters that he will depart at the end of the 2026 season. The 25-year-old, who joined the NRL club in 2025 after a stint in rugby union, is reportedly returning to the 15-a-side code — aiming to rejoin the national squad and target a place in the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Nawaqanitawase’s first full season in league was nothing short of spectacular. He finished as the NRL’s leading try scorer, crossing the line 24 times, and earned the Players’ Rookie of the Year award — a sign of his instant impact on the competition.
But despite his brilliance, he will not be eligible for the league’s top-rookie honour, the Dally M Rookie of the Year — a consequence of a recent rule change that disqualifies players who have already appeared professionally in any code.
The announcement leaves the Roosters scrambling to rethink their backline for 2027. Reports suggest the club is already eyeing potential replacements, with the versatile outside back Reuben Garrick often mentioned as a candidate.
For Nawaqanitawase, the decision reflects a broader ambition: to return to rugby union on his own terms, and to compete in a home-soil World Cup. For fans of the Roosters and the NRL, it marks the end of a brief but electric chapter — a reminder of how fleeting brilliance can be when opportunity calls elsewhere.
