Ahead of the 2023 NRL finals, rugby league superstar Nathan Cleary has spoken on a potential cross-code switch, revealing it isn't entirely out of the question.
Attempting to bring home the NRL Premiership back to Penrith for a third straight consecutive season and create history, Cleary has opened up on the temptation of jumping codes across to rugby union.
Considered one of the competition's top players, Cleary has done it all in the game of rugby league. With 155 NRL games to his name, he has represented New South Wales and Australia, won State of Origin titles and a World Cup, and has been awarded the Clive Churchill Medal, Brad Fittler Medal, RLPA Players' Champion and is a two-time Dally M Halfback of the Year.
While he is aiming to add to his long list of accolades in rugby league, Cleary revealed that rugby union had the allure to it due to it being a global sport and likened it to the Matildas in the FIFA Women's World Cup.
“The Matildas, what they've been able to do – you can't do that in rugby league," Cleary said in an interview with The Sporting News/YKTR EBBS AND FLOWS.
"I think that's the exciting part of union, it is on that global stage. If you were to do it for Australia, it would be such a big thing because Australia has sort of neglected union for a while now and it hasn't been a massive thing.
"I think that part of it is an exciting prospect, but league is all I have known and loved and it has been a passion for me. I couldn't see myself doing it, but there is a little part of me that thinks it would be cool to try it out.
"If I was to try it, I would 100 per cent have to be all-in, I wouldn't just be doing it for the thought of having success or wanting that status. It would take a lot of hard work, I would have to know the game inside-out before I even felt confident pulling on an Australian jersey.
"I wouldn't just want it because of what I've done in league. I still feel like there's still so much more for me to do in rugby league… it's just a journey and I feel like I'm honestly just getting started.
"You can have all the achievements along the way, but you know within yourself what you can get out of your talent and what you've put in."
While the idea of Nathan Cleary playing rugby union for Australia might not sound believable, Rugby Australia and Wallabies coach Eddie Jones have been trying to poach a number of footy's best stars to jump ship. While they may have missed out on the signing of Cameron Murray, they managed to sign young teenage prodigy Joseph Suaalii.
Suaalii isn't the first player to switch codes and will definitely not be the last. The Sydney Roosters outside back will follow in the footsteps of rugby league icons Ray Price, Michael O'Connor, Ricky Stuart, Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers, Lote Tuqiri, Israel Folau and current Wallabies Suliasi Vunivalu and Marika Koroibete.
