All Blacks and Hurricanes centre Jordie Barrett believes the best is yet to come for Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii as he undergoes a similar switch into the centres.
Barrett and Suaalii will battle it out in the midfield in Friday's crucial match between the NSW Waratahs and the Hurricanes.
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Both supreme athletes had had similar paths throughout the backline, with the 29-year-old Barrett starting at fullback before his eventual swap into the centres.
Suaalii is experiencing the same transition, dealing with calls from fans and pundits alike to increase his involvement.
"It’s been awesome. I love it when you get such high-calibre players, and his move from rugby league is great for our game. He's been outstanding," Barrett told reporters.
"...We've got a massive challenge trying to contain him tomorrow night, and, hopefully, he's got a big future with Australian Rugby.”
Barrett believes the move is the best chance for Suaalii to succeed, as the player is still developing his skills in his second year of Super Rugby.
“I think if you chucked him in one spot, he probably wouldn't learn as much, and the fact that he's playing fullback and 13, [the] occasional wing, it'll fast-track his development, and particularly the defensive side of the game, and he's already a very good defender," he said.
“I think it's a great thing being thrust into different situations that he might be a little bit uncomfortable as well, so he'll grow massively.”
The Hurricanes head into the contest off a six-day turnaround and a tough loss to Fiji, knowing the importance of away victories in a tense competition.
“I think any time you can bank points on the road, it's a massive value in this competition," Barrett said.
"We've seen how even it is so far. Two Australian teams are on top, we got one point in Fiji, so it's massive, and I think going into finals, it's proven that being in the top four helps [with] home ground advantage in June, where conditions are a bit more favourable for the home team.
"It's a massive challenge for us playing against a good Waratahs side this weekend."
