It's inevitable that given the size of Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's alleged price tag, the code-hopping Waratahs recruit has garnered the lion's share of Super Rugby Pacific attention this offseason. Two-time World Rugby Player of the Year Beauden Barrett was even upstaged at last week's launch.
Taniela Tupou has not been far behind at the Waratahs following his move to Daceyville, Sydney, while Andrew Kellaway has the honour of being the highest priced NSW player on a revived Super Rugby Fantasy league that will run for the first time in years.
But shuffle down the Waratahs' roster a little further and you'll find the softly spoken, no-nonsense Rob Leota, who last year was the face of Melbourne Rebels' painful demise as the now-defunct franchise's captain.
Melbourne born-and-bred, Leota could have been forgiven for kicking stones or taking a contract offshore, disillusioned with the franchise's administrators, Rugby Australia, or anyone he deemed fit to shoulder the blame of his club's demise. But in what is the measure of the man there have been no such gripes. Instead of throwing the proverbial boots out of the kitbag, he instead looks at the experience through a different lense.
"I think for me, being born in Melbourne, I spent a lot of time there, nine years, fortunate enough to have a Super Rugby team there. So yeah, I guess when you've been there for so long, I guess you're a bit attached," Leota, reclining comfortably in a lounge chair at Waratahs HQ, told ESPN.
"But it makes me appreciate it even more looking back now and those memories that we were able to have in Melbourne. Being able to play in front of my family, my home city. Yeah there were some challenges along the way but it just shows the strength of the group to be able to stick together and be able to get through a season is an achievement in itself."
As it stands, the Rebels saga isn't officially dead in the water, though the legal challenge of a group of backers that were hoping to keep the club alive appears to have stalled.
That is good news for Rugby Australia, who has had enough on its plate with the drawn-out Joe Schmidt Wallabies decision -- he has extended through to the end of this year's Rugby Championship -- while a new broadcast deal is rumoured to be nearing completion, too.
But all that won't have been of any consequence for Leota, whose focus has been far closer to a [new] home.
"Coming to the Tahs, it's been a great opportunity to test myself in a new environment, which is something that has been challenging in some ways," Leota said.
"I think more off the field, just trying to get used to those things coming home and having to cook for yourself and cleaning after yourself. I've just been used to being home with mum and dad. But no, those things aren't too challenging, it's just something to get used to. So you've just got to build those habits and it makes it easier to come to work and be able to show up and do something that I love to do, which I'm very fortunate to do."
Leota has long been a player of potential, which would have made him an attractive proposition to overseas clubs when the Rebels' demise was officially confirmed in May last year, just hours before the franchise was due to fly out to Fiji for its final regular-season game.
In the weeks that followed, Leota had a decision to make. Fortunately for the Waratahs and Australian rugby overall, the Leota family runs far and wide.
"So a lot of my Dad's side [family are in Sydney]. My Dad's side has got over 20 siblings. So you can imagine all his siblings having kids and then their kids having kids. I've got nephews and nieces that are probably the same age as my Dad and like 40. I'm like 27, so it's weird.
"Dad's family is massive here, so I've got a whole lot of nieces, nephews, uncles... I can't keep up with that. I'm honestly probably meeting new family members most years. So I can get introduced and get to know my Dad's family nearly every year."
If the presence of a seemingly endless Leota lineage in Sydney wasn't enough to get him to the Waratahs, then the franchise's signing of former Brumbies coach and Wallabies assistant Dan McKellar proved the clincher.
"My first year at the Wallabies, Dan was my forwards coach," Leota said. "He helped me a lot when I was at Wallabies, I had a lot of honest conversations with him that probably grew my game for the next couple of years.
"When I found out he was thinking of coming [to the Tahs], I was hearing it, and then Dan reached out.
"And I know the type of coach that Dan is. And I think, for me, I never thought that I'd probably play for another Super franchise, but that made my decision a lot easier when I heard Dan was coming here.
"Because I know he's just an honest man and he's going to give you that feedback that you need. And sometimes it can be critical or real honest, but that's what I respect about him. And I think that's probably what I was needing.
"So I knew the opportunity of playing under Dan once I heard that, that made my decision pretty easy."
While he managed six more Super Rugby games than he did in 2023, Leota's 2024 season was again hampered by injury, a problem that has unfortunately been a constant bedfellow across his professional career.
It also stopped him from featuring for the Wallabies at any stage last season, though that carried a silver lining and now has him primed for a big start with the Waratahs from Friday night, when NSW open their season at home to the Highlanders.
"Playing a bit more and then getting injured again I think has been probably one of my biggest challenges," Leota said. "There [were] a few injuries in a row that sort of came and as I was coming good. Then starting to grow again, playing good footy. But yeah, I think I've got a lot of footy in me left.
"I think I've just got to keep sticking at it with especially what I'm doing off the field and how I'm taking care of my body. And I think that's something that I've learned since I've come here to Tahs. Especially rehabbing my body and having a lot of stuff that's accessible here like the recovery centre and treatment.
"It's about me just using those things to allow me to go do the things that I can do on the footy field. So I think the more I'm in that sort of space and continue looking after my body, I definitely believe in myself that I still have a lot of footy in me. I've just got to make sure my body's right and I'm able to get out there and do the things that I do."
Whether Leota can force his way back into Schmidt's squad for the British & Irish Lions series remains to be seen, but at his best he is a powerful option at No. 6 and an attractive bench proposition given he can cover lock, blindside and No. 8.
Regardless, he will complete a powerful Waratahs back-row alongside Charlie Gamble and Langi Gleeson, the latter a player whom Leota could replace in the Australia setup given his teammate's decision to head offshore later this year.
And in further good news for the Waratahs, Leota's stay in Sydney may not be just a one-and-done proposition. Turning 28 next month, Leota's best rugby can absolutely still be in front of him and while his mum and dad may no longer be in the next room, the wider Leota clan, McKellar and a winning Waratahs team could all combine to help keep him in Sydney beyond 2025.
"Being here for a couple of months now, I wouldn't mind if I was still in Sydney [in 2027]. A lot of my family are here, that was a big decision in why I came here, out of all the other states, because I think one of my big values is family. I know I'm going to get a sense of comfort knowing that I've got family here.
"Like I said, a lot of my dad and even some of my mum's family are a lot in Sydney, so that was a big reason why I came. Wherever my family is, that's where I feel comfortable. It makes it easier for me knowing that I've got people that support me. It makes it easier for me to go out and train and do things that I do on the rugby field."