Rugby union international star George North has surprisingly revealed that he nearly joined the NRL after being approached by the Australia Rugby League (ARL).
A star in the 15-man code, North has made a career of playing in the centres and on the wing and amassed 118 international caps for Wales and three appearances for the British and Irish Lions - scoring 245 international points.
Away from the international scene, he has represented the Scarlets, Northampton Saints and Ospreys, playing 180 games and scoring 330 points.
In an interview with The Guardian, North admitted that there was an opportunity to join the NRL over ten years ago in an attempt to lure him away from a career in rugby union. This came after the Lions tour of Australia in 2013.
The revelation from the 31-year-old comes after Louis Rees-Zammit - a former Welsh international - has decided to leave rugby union and leave for the United States in an attempt to pursue the dream of playing in the NFL.
โNot many people know there was an opportunity for me,โ the Wales rugby international told The Guardian.
โI was asked would I look at League in Australia.
"I had a couple of conversations but drew a line under it pretty quickly. My biggest goal was to play for my country and not many people from north Wales get that opportunity.โ
โWhen I was sipping a gin and tonic in the Sydney sunshine it did cross my mind," he added if a move to the NRL tempted him.
"But that was off the high of a series win. For me, it's always been about rugby and Wales. It's always been about the Three Feathers.โ
Looking back into time, the Canberra Raiders, St George Illawarra Dragons, Wests Tigers and Parramatta Eels would likely have been interested in recruiting him due to their poor performances at the time.
