Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii will return for the Waratahs at outside centre on Saturday when they finish their Super Rugby season against the Force, giving NSW one last look at their biggest name after a stop-start campaign. Waratahs coach Dan McKellar said the selection was his own and not the result of any direction from Rugby Australia.

McKellar said Suaalii was fit, available and ready to play in the final game of the season, which comes after the Waratahs lost to the Brumbies last Friday and slipped into a dead rubber against the Force. The coach said there had been trust between the two groups and there had been no instruction from Rugby Australia to play him or to hold him back.

Suaalii has managed four games for the Waratahs this year after battling a hamstring injury, a frustrating follow-up to a first season in which he was limited to seven games for NSW after suffering a fractured jaw. Across two seasons, he has still played 18 Tests for the Wallabies, a reminder of why his workload has drawn close attention as Australia builds toward its July Test series.

That series will bring the Wallabies into matches against Ireland, Italy and France, and Suaalii’s final run for NSW comes with the broader season already closing around him. The Waratahs’ match against the Force is their last of the year, and several players will be farewelled afterward.

McKellar’s call also reshapes the backline for one last time. Triston Reilly drops to the bench in Suaalii’s place, while Sid Harvey drops out of the match-day squad and is replaced by Andrew Kellaway, who starts on the left wing.

Reilly has impressed at centre and is set to remain at the Waratahs next season, while Harvey’s first Super Rugby campaign has given the club something to build on. He scored six tries in 11 games, and McKellar pointed to the need to manage his development after a heavy workload.

“It’s just management of Sid, he’s been very good,” McKellar said, adding that Harvey had not started a game of Shute Shield yet and had still produced plenty in 2026. He said the aim was to keep things simple for players, coaches, supporters and fans, and to make sure those at the top of the table are pushed hard at season’s end.

The final whistle on Saturday will close the book on NSW’s season and begin the next round of decisions. Tom Lambert is moving to the Reds, Ioane Moananu will return to New Zealand, and the Waratahs will head into their off-season with their most high-profile player back on the field, but not for much longer.