He then moved on to play for the Illawarra Cutters in the New South Wales Cup from 2013.[9]
Wakeman signed with the St. George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, making the step up from feeder club to the elite level.[10] Whilst he failed to make a first-grade appearance in the NRL, he did attract headlines for his performances for the Cutters in the Intrust Super Premiership.[11] Wakeman was a member of Illawarra's 2016 premiership winning side and also a member and first try scorer of the Illawarra side which won the NRL State Championship match in 2016 against The Burleigh Bears.[12]
In October 2017 while playing for Italy in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, Wakeman allegedly king hit fellow teammate James Tedesco while having drinks at The Pier Bar in Cairns following Italy's shock 36-12 defeat by Ireland. The altercation was reportedly due to Tedesco propositioning Wakeman's girlfriend.[14][15]