All Blacks winger reveals NRL dream
The South Sydney Rabbitohs are a source of inspiration for All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke, who shared his desire of playing in the NRL one day.
Refusing to rule out a cross-code switch from rugby union to the league, per the Herald, the All Blacks have been a mainstay of the national team since debuting for them back in 2020 and even managed two appearances at the recent Rugby World Cup in France.
The 24-year-old acknowledged that he was an avid Rabbitohs fan growing up and had long-held dreams of playing in the NRL, having been inspired by NRL great 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 feel 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 appreciate that session [on Tuesday] so much more now that I’m doing it.
Currently playing for the Blues in the Super Rugby competition and Auckland in the National Provincial Competition, the winger has been a star in the 15-man code since he was a junior.
After the Sydney Roosters announced the signing of Wallabies winger Mark Nawaqanitawase for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, Clarke may become the next rugby union star to join the NRL.
Coach of the Rabbitohs, Jason Demetriou, expressed his admiration for Clarke’s performance during the team’s practises and asked if he would be interested in joining later on.
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. He was really wonderful to have in