He was on the verge of his NSW Origin debut. He had scored 10 tries in nine games. He was the most exciting winger in the competition. Now Mark Nawaqanitawase is in surgery — and the Roosters’ injury crisis is the worst of any club in 2026.
On Saturday night at Allianz Stadium, in the 26th minute of a match the Roosters were winning comfortably, Mark Nawaqanitawase came off the field with his ankle in trouble. The manner of the injury — immediate, jarring, the kind that makes a stadium go quiet — told the story before any official diagnosis. It was serious.
By Monday, the Roosters confirmed the worst. Nawaqanitawase was taken from the field in the 26th minute with a syndesmosis injury. He has undergone surgery and will now commence rehabilitation under the guidance of the club’s medical staff. Six to eight weeks. Origin debut gone. The best winger in the NRL over the first nine rounds — done, just as the season reaches its most critical stretch.
And that was just the beginning of the Roosters’ injury announcement.
The outpouring of support for Mark Nawaqanitawase from across the rugby league world on Saturday night and Sunday morning was immediate and genuine — because the people watching understood exactly what had just happened to a player who had been the competition’s most electric winger across nine rounds of football.
Nawaqanitawase had scored eight tries in his last five games at Allianz Stadium alone. He had 10 tries in nine games across the season. He was the leading tryscorer in the competition. He had made his Kangaroos debut last year. And he was, according to every credible NSW Origin selector, on the verge of his Blues debut in State of Origin Game 1 — something he had spoken about as a childhood dream.
That dream is now on hold. The syndesmosis injury will sideline him for weeks and rule him out of Game 1 at the very least. A syndesmosis — the ligament connecting the tibia and fibula — is one of the most painful and demanding ankle injuries in professional sport. The surgery itself went well, but the rehabilitation is measured in months, not weeks. Whether he returns in time for Origin Game 2 or 3 — if the NSW selectors hold a spot — is the most optimistic scenario available.
“Nawaqanitawase is no chance to play in Game 1 — which would have been his Origin debut for NSW after representing the Kangaroos last year.”
— Yahoo Sports NRL, May 4, 2026
While Nawaqanitawase dominates the headlines, the injury that may ultimately hurt the Roosters most over the long term belongs to a 21-year-old forward who had been touted as one of the great prospects in the club’s talent pipeline.
Blake Steep suffered an ACL injury in the Roosters’ NSW Cup match against Canberra — and the Roosters have revealed the devastating news that the 21-year-old could miss the rest of the NRL season. Steep had played three NRL games this year, starting at lock in Round 1 against the Warriors. He was on the cusp of a longer first-grade run when the injury struck.
An ACL at 21, just as he was making his mark on first-grade football — it is the cruelest possible timing for a player the Roosters had significant plans for in 2026 and beyond. The club confirmed scans have confirmed the ACL injury and he will commence the standard rehabilitation process. Whether that process yields a return this season is, at best, uncertain.
The NSW Origin implications are severe. Nawaqanitawase’s injury has affected his State of Origin hopes — he is no chance to play in Game 1 which would have been his Origin debut for NSW after representing the Kangaroos last year. And despite the Roosters failing to put a timeline on Crichton, he appears extremely unlikely as well — with Laurie Daley to call on the likes of Hudson Young, Jacob Preston and Haumole Olakau’atu if Crichton isn’t fit.
For Daley, losing two Roosters starters from his Origin plans in a single match is a significant headache. NSW had built a backline around Nawaqanitawase’s finishing ability and athleticism — his 10 tries in nine games were the primary evidence of a player ready for the Origin stage. Now Daley must rebuild that wing spot with weeks, not months, to prepare.
In a week of bad news, the Roosters received one genuinely positive update. Billy Smith has recommenced team training following his knee injury — the utility back returning to the fold gives Robinson at least one option to consider in his reshuffled backline. And the Cody Ramsey storyline — already one of the feel-good stories of the 2026 season — takes on new significance, with his debut on Saturday night now looking like the perfect preparation for a genuine first-grade role.
Victor Radley’s controversial escape from all charges despite being reported three times against the Broncos is also a net positive — the Roosters retain their most physical forward at the precise moment their depth is being tested most severely.
Mark Nawaqanitawase was in the form of his life. Blake Steep was on the verge of something significant. Angus Crichton was about to play his first State of Origin game at the end of a long road back. One match — one brutal 80 minutes at Allianz Stadium — changed the trajectory of all three careers simultaneously. The rugby league world noticed. The Roosters will rebuild. But this week, the injury announcements deserve to be read slowly — and the men behind them deserve the support pouring in from across the game.
