Penrith and NSW playmaker Nathan Cleary makes it clear where he stands on possible swap to rugby union
Nathan Cleary has issued his strongest response to the rumours linking him with a shock move to rugby union, with the champion Penrith playmaker not wanting to 'waste' his prime years as he looks to squeeze everything out of his rugby league career.
It's not the first time the rumour mill has run wild, with speculation during last year's finals series that Cleary could move to the Super League to be closer to his partner, Mary Fowler.
A potential move to rugby has been mooted a few times, although it's never come from the Cleary camp who have had to politely shut down suggestions that the best player in the world wants to earn big bucks overseas or test himself with the Wallabies.
Cleary, 27, still has two more years to run on his Panthers deal and could earn the biggest contract in rugby league history if and when he chooses to stay in the NRL.
The lure of testing himself in another sport is a perfectly logical argument, but it's one that doesn't stack up for a guy who is constantly rewriting the record books and is facing a new challenge as the four-time defending premiers fight to stay in touch with the top eight after falling to the foot of the ladder a few weeks ago.
'I think I've got enough challenges in front of me playing rugby league,' Cleary told the NewsWire from Blues camp in Leura.
'I feel like I want to squeeze the most out of my rugby league potential as I can.
'I've put so much into it and it's been my passion for so long, so to then get to this stage where I feel like I'm probably playing my best footy and in the best position to play my best footy in the coming years, I don't want to waste that.
'Going back to Penrith and the way we started the year, that's a challenge in itself and I've found motivation in that. You can't take winning for granted.'
Cleary is climbing up the leaderboard as one of the greatest scorers in competition history, with the superstar playmaker likely to move into top spot if he stays fit.
That's if he decides to stay in rugby league, with his father and coach at the Panthers, Ivan Cleary, leaving the door ajar when asked last week about a possible stint in rugby later in Nathan's career.
Cleary is the ultimate professional and would find a way to dominate the 15-man code if he ever wanted to make the switch, but the NSW halfback is content in rugby league and has no desire to leave.
'Growing up in New Zealand, it's so big over there, so I do watch a bit of the international game,' he said when asked if he actually enjoyed rugby.
'I have admiration for those guys and keep up with it, but I much prefer to watch rugby league any day of the week.
'That's part of the reason why I hear this talk about me going to rugby union – and I don't really know where that's coming from – I think that I love rugby league too much to even process that right now.
'I do have an open mind that later in life maybe (I consider it) but definitely not at the moment.
'I feel like I have so much more to tap into my potential as a rugby league player. I feel like I'm coming into those prime years and I don't necessarily want those to go to waste by learning a new sport.'
While the lure of playing overseas is tempting for any young man, Cleary appreciates what he has in Penrith where he's the face of the NRL and on track to be the greatest player of all time.
It's been a fascinating journey for the premiership star who has the chance to seal the State of Origin series in Perth next week nine years and two weeks after he made his NRL debut as a fresh-faced teenager.
Cleary was only 18 and had played just one NSW Cup game following back-to-back 74-10 wins in the Holden Cup where he scored 56 points in what would be his final two matches in their stacked under-20 team.
'I didn't know it was ending at the time. I thought I'd be playing for another two years,' he said, explaining how he became so addicted to footy's daily grind.
'It's a bit different because you play 20s and it's a bit of a hobby in a way because you're not doing it full-time. Of course you love it because you're playing with all your mates and you put a lot of time and effort in it.
'But when you're in first grade and you're being scrutinised all the time, it feels a lot different.
'I was still doing a teacher's aide job when I was playing 20s, so you're juggling so many other things and the competition isn't as hard as the NRL.
'Then you get into first grade and you become addicted to your craft and you put so much into it.'
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