Latest news with #TimHoran
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
Wallabies coach responds to speculation NRL superstar Nathan Cleary is keen to switch footy codes - 'might want to spread his wings'
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt hasn't ruled out NRL superstar Nathan Cleary sensationally switching footy codes, declaring the champion halfback 'might want to spread his wings.' It comes after footy legend Tim Horan turned heads earlier this week when he suggested on Stan Sport 's Rugby Heaven that Cleary was 'quite keen' to jump ship. 'I watched the State of Origin,' Schmidt told reporters on Friday. 'He obviously went to Sacred Heart College in New Zealand when Ivan (Cleary) was coaching the Warriors. That's (All Blacks great) Sean Fitzpatrick country. It's certainly a rugby school. 'He (also) played soccer as a young man. He's played league so, you know, he might want to spread his wings and play another sport.' It isn't the first time the gifted Panthers playmaker has been linked to a shock cross-code switch, and with his girlfriend, Matildas star Mary Fowler based in England, the 27-year-old may also seek a fresh sporting challenge abroad. Signing on with Rugby Australia is another option - and that would be a lucrative decision for Cleary. And with the next World Cup on local shores in 2027, rugby fans are hopeful. Cleary made his NRL debut in 2016, and has gone onto win four premierships with the Panthers. He won a World Cup with the Kangaroos in 2022 - and has also chalked up 15 appearances for NSW at Origin level since 2018. Cleary's current NRL contract with Penrith expires at the end of 2027 - and he also previously stated he would be 'open' to new surroundings overseas. 'I'm not against it,' he said. 'I have a pretty open mind to that kind of stuff. 'Being able to experience different cultures is something I enjoy doing.' Adding to the intrigue is Fowler recently stating she has no desire to play in the A-League Women's competition. 'I'm not going to be playing football in Australia anytime soon, if ever,' the Matildas star said.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt says Nathan Cleary might want to ‘spread his wings' into rugby union
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt is open to the idea of NSW State of Origin star Nathan Cleary switching to rugby union but is focused on the ongoing development of the national team's current fly-half options, including Queensland Reds No.10 Tom Lynagh. Former Wallabies centre Tim Horan this week said there were 'rumours' that Cleary wanted to change codes ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. 'I don't think it's the right thing for Australian rugby to do, we've got a lot of talent coming through, but … if Nathan Cleary says 'I'm interested in playing the game' you've got to have a coffee,' Horan told Stan Sport. Despite playing as a halfback in rugby league, Cleary would be suited to the fly-half role in rugby union rather than scrum-half. The Penrith half also went to a rugby school in New Zealand when his father Ivan coached the Warriors in the NRL, and last year said he had 'great admiration and respect for union players' and 'somewhere down the track' he might consider changing codes. 'He (Cleary) obviously went to Sacred Heart College in New Zealand … it's certainly a rugby school,' Schmidt said on Friday in Brisbane, where he spoke 50 days out from the first Test of the series between the Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions at Suncorp Stadium. 'He's played soccer as a young man, he's played league, so he might want to spread his wings and play another sport, but at the same time, we've got a really good stock there that we're focused on in the very short term.' They include Lynagh, who has impressed Schmidt in this season's Super Rugby Pacific competition. 'I'm always looking to see more, but what I have seen is really positive. Tommy's a really great player,' the Wallabies coach said. 'Defensively he does a good job. He's actually a lot better in the air than people would give him credit for. 'For another big man, he gets his timing right and his technique under the ball is good. His keeping game is long enough, his passing game is efficient, and he's growing into a guy who can drive the game around the field. 'They are a lot of the aspects that we'd be looking for.' Schmidt has also been impressed with rugby league covert Joseph Sua'ali'i, who is sidelined with a fractured jaw. The ability of Waratahs star Sua'ali'i to play at fullback, centre or winger makes him a handy Wallabies option, with Schmidt hoping he would be ready for Australia's Test against Fiji on July 6 in Newcastle. 'I didn't mind where he was playing (for the Waratahs) because as long as he was playing, he was getting that cross-code adaptation that he needed,' Schmidt said. 'That's one of the things about the modern game. It's not about the number on your back, it's the role that you're expected to play. 'Whether it's 13, 15, or 14, Joseph's incredibly keen to have one of those numbers on his back, and he's working hard and he's looking good, going in the right direction to be ready for our Test against Fiji in Newcastle, which will be the ideal warm up to come up here and compete (against the Lions).'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘He's quite keen to come to rugby': Nathan Cleary at centre of bombshell defection claim
Nathan Cleary has been linked to a bombshell defection to rugby union as he reportedly eyes up a new challenge. The Panthers halfback has achieved almost everything possible in rugby league, having won four premierships, two Clive Churchill Medals, a State of Origin series and the World Cup for Australia, and over the past several months his representatives have reportedly been sussing out if a code hop could be on the cards. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. Since late last year rumours have circulated about Cleary potentially weighing up a move to rugby union. Cleary spent his childhood years in a rugby-mad New Zealand household and has previously mentioned he'd consider a code switch in the future, although it still seemed like a long shot. But according to Wallabies legend Tim Horan, it is far more than just a rumour. 'You might not have to wait too long (for him to be playing rugby,' Horan said in a segment on Stan Sport's Rugby Heaven. 'There's been some rumours the last two months that he's quite keen. 'I've heard it totally separate, he's quite keen to come to rugby.' The timing of Horan's comments are significant, with Rugby Australia (RA) looking forward to the 2027 World Cup on home soil. And with Joseph Sua'ali'i having immediate success in the 15-man code, the idea of having Cleary in Wallabies colours is a tantalising prospect. However, despite that Horan doesn't believe he is the right man to target, but does understand why RA officials would be interested. 'I don't think it's the right thing for Australian rugby to do, we've got a lot of talent coming through,' he said. 'But I tell you what, if Nathan Cleary says 'I'm interested in playing the game' you've got to have a coffee.' The latest development comes after former RA chairman Hamish McLennan claimed Cleary has been considering making the switch for a while. At the end of last year, McLennan revealed up to six NRL stars were open to negotiating with RA for a cross-code defection. He stated he was unsure whether the players were aware of the third-party approach but insisted there was genuine interest. 'Earlier this year, I got told Cleary and a few other top NRL players were keen to come to rugby via a third party,' McLennan told The Daily Telegraph in November. 'It wasn't directed at me, but I believe it was all real. Perhaps they (Cleary and the other NRL players) wanted to test the waters with a few people, but by then I had left Rugby Australia. '(But) RA has to go after Cleary, absolutely.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Daily Mail
Footy legend Tim Horan says Nathan Cleary is keen to make bombshell move that would send shockwaves through Aussie sport
Wallabies legend Tim Horan has dropped a bombshell after declaring NRL superstar Nathan Cleary is 'quite keen to come to rugby.' It isn't the first time the Panthers halfback has been linked to a shock cross-code switch, and with his girlfriend, Matildas star Mary Fowler based in England, the 27-year-old may seek a bold new sporting challenge abroad. Signing on with Rugby Australia is another option - and with the next World Cup on local shores in 2027, rugby fans are hopeful. Speaking on Stan Sport 's Rugby Heaven, dual World Cup winner Horan said the move for Cleary could materialise. 'There's been some rumours the last two months that he's quite keen,' the decorated inside centre said. 'I've heard it totally separate, he's quite keen to come to rugby.' Horan added that RA shouldn't be raiding the NRL for talent - before adding that if a player of Cleary's calibre was interested, 'you've got to have a coffee.' Cleary made his NRL debut in 2016, and has gone onto win four premierships with the Panthers. Nathan Cleary and Matildas star Mary Fowler have been Australian sport's power couple since 2023 He won a World Cup with the Kangaroos in 2022 - and has also chalked up 15 appearances for NSW at Origin level since 2018. Cleary's current NRL contract with Penrith expires at the end of 2027 - and he also previously stated he would be 'open' to new surroundings overseas. 'I'm not against it,' he said. 'I have a pretty open mind to that kind of stuff. 'Being able to experience different cultures is something I enjoy doing.' Adding to the intrigue is Fowler recently confirming she has no desire to play in the A-League Women's competition. 'I'm not going to be playing football in Australia anytime soon, if ever,' the Matildas star said.
