Former Rugby Australia (RA) chairman Hamish McLennan has claimed famous person halfback Nathan Cleary has been sussing out a change to rugby union. As RA celebrates Roosters defector Joseph Suaalii’s unimaginable Wallabies debut final weekend, McLennan revealed a number of different NRL stars have been contemplating becoming a member of the 15-man code.
McLennan was the person who poached Suaalii for the Wallabies in an enormous $5 million coup and revealed in May he was made conscious of a handful of different NRL gamers, together with Cleary, contemplating becoming a member of rugby union. McLennan stated as much as six NRL stars had been open to negotiating with RA for a cross-code defection however acknowledged he was uncertain whether or not the gamers had been conscious of the third-party method. However, he insisted there was real curiosity.
McLennan says talks between him and the NRL stars by no means reached the purpose of formal discussions as a consequence of him leaving RA however he believes poaching Cleary and different NRL stars is an actual chance. “Earlier this 12 months, I received informed Cleary and some different high NRL gamers had been eager to return to rugby by way of a 3rd occasion,” McLennan informed The Daily Telegraph. “It wasn’t directed at me, however I consider it was all actual. Perhaps they (Cleary and the opposite NRL gamers) had been wanting to check the waters with a couple of individuals, however by then I had left Rugby Australia.
“RA has to go after Cleary, absolutely. I think the next two players Rugby Australia should look to target are Nathan Cleary and Payne Haas. It would be an amazing experience for Nathan. Signing Cleary would be a game changer for the code and add millions in the TV rights deal coming up.
“Nathan has completed all of it in rugby league. He has gained 4 premierships with Penrith and performed State of Origin and Test soccer. He was beforehand requested by NRL media about Suualii enjoying rugby and he talked about how he liked rugby as a result of he grew up in New Zealand when his dad was teaching the Warriors. Rugby Australia ought to get him for the following World Cup in Australia. Nathan Cleary can be phenomenal.”
The Panthers halfback has achieved almost everything possible in rugby league, having won four premierships, two Clive Churchill Medals, a State of Origin series and the World Cup for Australia in 2022. Cleary spent his childhood years in a rugby-mad New Zealand household and has previously mentioned he’d consider a code switch in the future.
Cleary, who celebrates his 27th birthday this week, is contracted to Penrith until the end of 2027. But at the end of that deal, he could be tempted to try his hand at union or alternatively head to the UK to play in the Super League, a move that would mean he could be closer to his partner Mary Fowler.
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The former Roosters and NSW Origin star inspired the Wallabies to a 42-37 upset victory over England last weekend. And in the days that have followed, there has been a sense that other big-name NRL players could follow suit. Roosters star Dominic Young has been linked to changing codes with winger’s manager Michael Cincotta telling The Telegraph that the 23-year-old is open to the move.
But McLennan believes the key to capitalising on Suaalii’s popularity and helping convince more NSW talent to defect to union is to add a Super Rugby franchise in western Sydney and make the cross-code star the side’s poster boy. “There’s no shortage of talent out in Western Sydney and perhaps a lateral thought is to put a privatised franchise out in western Sydney with private money brought in – and you could even make Joseph the face of the club,” McLennan told The Roar.
