'There is a little part of me': NRL star Nathan Cleary on the thought of a code switch

Two-time Premiership winner and NSW Blues halfback Nathan Cleary has shared his thoughts openly on rugby union and what appeals to him about the other code.

The Penrith Panthers star inked a five-year deal with his club which runs until the end of 2027 which rules out any potential code switch any time soon, but he revealed that a part of him likes the idea.

The appeal of rugby union is the ‘global stage’ with the ability to shine in a World Cup, much like how Australia’s Maltidas recently captured the nation’s attention at home.

The 2027 Rugby World Cup is to be hosted in Australia which ‘excited’ the 25-year-old playmaker.

“It does for sure,” Cleary told Isaac John on the Sporting News/YKTY Ebbs and Flows podcast.

“I think that’s the exciting part of union, it is on that global stage.

“If you were to do it for Australia, it would be such a big thing because Australia has sort of neglected union for a while now and it hasn’t been a massive thing.

“I think that part of it is an exciting prospect, but league is all I have known and loved and it has been a passion for me.

“I couldn’t see myself doing it, but there is a little part of me that thinks it would be cool to try it out.”

Cleary explained that his personality drives him to be exceptional at what he is committed to, so any switch to rugby union would involve knowing the game ‘inside-out’.

“If I was to try it, I would 100 per cent have to be all-in, I wouldn’t just be doing it for the thought of having success or wanting that global status,” he said.

“It would be such a process thing . It would take a lot of hard work, like I’d just have to know the game inside-out before I even felt confident pulling on an Australian jersey.

“I wouldn’t just want it because of what I’ve done in league.”

However, Cleary was adament his time in rugby league isn’t finishing any time soon as he prepares to chase three consecutive Premiership titles in the NRL.

He believes there is ‘so much more’ to do in the NRL which has his full commitment at the moment.

“I still feel like there’s still so much more for me to do in rugby league… it’s just a journey and I feel like I’m honestly just getting started,” he said.

“You can have all the achievements along the way, but you know within yourself what you can get out of your talent and what you’ve put in.”

Whilst the door sounds shut for Cleary, after being publicly called out by Eddie Jones as a target, Rabbitohs star Cam Murray re-signed with his NRL club.

Murray announced he had locked in a five-year deal with the Rabbitohs until 2028 and called the speculation around a rugby union switch “annoying” after he never heard anything from Rugby Australia.