All Blacks winger reveals NRL dream

He was inspired by NRL great Greg Inglis.

Caleb Clarke, an All Blacks winger, shared his desire of playing in the NRL one day after working out with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

 

The Herald reports that the All Blacks, who have been a stalwart of the national squad since their 2020 debut and even

achieved two appearances at the last Rugby World Cup in France, are refusing

to rule out a cross-code transition from rugby union to the league.

 

The 24-year-old acknowledged that he was an avid Rabbitohs fan growing up and that he had always dreamed of

playing in the NRL, having been inspired by NRL legend Greg Inglis.

“It’s always been a lifelong dream to be able to play in a different code and play league,” he stated, as reported by the Herald, a few years back.

 

“I played league for a few years in high school and I find that watching league is far more fun than watching rugby because I have to watch rugby all the time for work.

 

“The game is so much more fun for me now. I have a lot more respect for that

session [on Tuesday] since it goes by quickly and gives you little time to

reflect. We will undoubtedly monitor developments in the future.

The outstanding winger in the 15-man code since he was a junior, he currently plays for the Blues in the Super Rugby tournament and Auckland in the National Provincial tournament.

 

Clarke might be the next rugby union talent to sign a contract with the Sydney

Roosters, following the announcement of the signing of Wallabies winger Mark

Nawaqanitawase for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.

 

Jason Demetriou, the coach of the Rabbitohs, expressed his admiration for Clarke’s performance during the team’s

practises and asked if he would be interested in joining in the future.

Demetriou stated, “There’s no doubt we’d be sitting at the table, for sure, if there’s

an option down the line for him to come over to rugby league.”

 

To be honest, he fit right in and was quite kind and interesting. He performed well in the system defense, and it was

designed to be an attack-focused day. In addition, he stepped right in and

performed some drills with the “red side,” or the more seasoned players.

 

He obviously has a great sense of space. It was so wonderful to have him here.