Junior Sa’u on career milestone and crunch Goole clash

Rochdale Hornets centre Junior Sa’u has spoken of his pride after reaching the landmark of 350 career appearances against Newcastle Thunder last weekend.

Sa'u represented Newcastle Knights and Melbourne Storm in the NRL earlier in the career, before making the move to the UK to join Salford in 2014. 

Since then, he has amassed a wealth of Betfred Super League, Championship and League One experience, linking up with the Hornets ahead of the 2026 season following a four-season stint at Keighley Cougars.

An illustrious career CV has also seen Sa’u play for both New Zealand and Samoa on the international stage, scoring eight tries in nine appearances for the Kiwis between 2009-10 before donning the Samoa jersey twice during the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

On reaching career appearance number 350, Sa’u said: “I can remember my 300th game was against Rochdale, so to be able to play my 350th wearing the Hornets jersey, it was a really special feeling.”

While talent and excellent physical attributes have propelled a career that has seen him travel around the globe since his professional debut in 2008, the mental side of the game has been an equal focal point for Sa’u. 

With vast experience now under his belt, Sa’u wants to be a role model for the next crop of Hornets players coming through the ranks.

“I guess through the experience in my career, to get to where I’m at now, I had to go through all those physical times where I lost myself. Lost my head in the game and had some issues”, he admitted.

“The more games you play, the more things you learn about yourself. My purpose now is trying to inspire others- especially the younger generation in our team. 

“For me as a senior player, it’s making sure they reach their potential. Everyone in our team is there for a reason.”

The aforementioned Newcastle defeat means Gary Thornton’s side have now lost back-to-back game, having previously fallen to defeat against Widnes Vikings in the 1895 Cup semi-finals. 

Sa’u and his team-mates will look to return to winning ways away at Goole this weekend, with the Hornets sitting 12th in the table and their opponents Goole four places lower in 16th, after just four wins and 12 losses. 

Their two competitive meetings this season have ended in comprehensive Hornets’ victories: 24-6 in the 1895 Cup last month and 35-10 in the reverse Betfred Championship fixture at the Crown Oil Arena in late March. 

That being said, Sa’u was keen to stress the threat of Goole - particularly after defeating Keighley Cougars 50-16 last weekend. 

Looking ahead to Saturday, he said: “Obviously it’s going to be a tough game on Saturday, they’ve come off a great win and are full of confidence playing at home.

“It’ll be good to get back to try and right some wrongs. Going up against Newcastle where the majority of players are full-time, you can see the difference in quality and fitness levels.

“For me it’s all about lessons. What went wrong, how we can fix it and get better. I’m a big believer that when we get a hiccup like this, it’s a wake-up call.

“We’re a team of hard workers and a tight bunch of blokes that are willing to turn up for each other.”