Joseph Suaalii says he is ready to play NRL before the age of 18 as a special NRL exemption is set to be given to allow him to feature for the the Roosters in 2021.
Suaalii has kept his distance from the media as he prepares for the enormous challenge of playing first-grade football at such a young age.
The Roosters reached out to the NRL to grant an exemption for Suaalii, who turns 18 on August 1.
Speaking to NRL.com, the teenager said age wasn't a barrier.
"One hundred percent I feel that I'm confident [enough] in myself to play [NRL], but I know I have a lot of steps with what I need to do, on and off the field, to get to that point," Suaalii told NRL.com.
"[The application process] is out of my hands. I don't have anything to do with that. I just receive feedback [about the request]."
Suaalii is generating plenty of excitement around Bondi and has the endorsement of star full-back James Tedesco.
Tedesco however believes the excitement around Suaalii should be tempered in order to allow him to develop and reach his full potential.
"I had a good chat to him about not reading too much into it because whether it's good or bad it can play on your mind a bit," Tedesco said.
"I know everyone's talking about him a lot, he's a very switched-on kid and we all know how talented he is, but we've just got to let him be 17 and let him develop. He'll have his time soon.
"He's had the most [hype] I've ever seen, I think. Everyone's really excited, and so they should be because he's such a talent, but we've got to not put too much pressure on him.
"If everyone keeps talking about him, if he doesn't come out and score three tries in his first game everyone's going to be disappointed. You've got to remember, he's still in school, he's only a young kid."
The 17 year-old is a flexible player with his best football coming from fullback and at centre.
Suaalii said his parents played a massive role in his career to date and were a massive reason he was in such a fortunate position.
"I'm aware [the focus] is there, but it's not hard. You kind of have to embrace it and say I'm happy to be here," he said.
"Not many people get to be where I am at the moment. I have to take it and be grateful. I'm aware that there's a lot of expectation and pressure, but I don't really dwell on it.
"I'm not really focusing on it; I'm just focusing on playing good footy, trying to learn as much as possible."
According to The Daily Telegraph, the highly-touted King's product is set to have his exemption accepted by the league and the ARL.
No doubt the NRL will bend the rules to benefit the Roosters. Also, it is clear the Roosters are not interested in his welfare.