NRL legend Greg Inglis has opened up on the time he thought about switching codes, revealing Essendon and Shute Shield side Randwick had approached him for his services.
The debates between codes has been revved up in the wake of Sydney Roosters star Joseph Sua’ali’i’s decision to move to rugby union at the end of 24.
He is not the first and certainly won’t be the last to make such a switch.
Inglis himself could have followed the Roosters prodigy’s path to rugby union as well, but he could never truly shake off the notion his heart lay with league.
“There was a time though when I did sit back and think about it,” Inglis said on Triple M’s Footy Talk podcast.
“I had the opportunity to come down and play for Randwick with my cousin.
“Again, it just didn’t interest me, I didn’t look too far into it. I was probably looking at it as a way of playing with my cousin.
“But at the end of the day, I was always coming back to league. Always coming back.”
Inglis could have also followed a path similar to Israel Folau in terms of making the jump from rugby league to AFL.
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The South Sydney great revealed he had thoughts about an exit in the wake of Melbourne Storm’s salary cap scandal in 2010, and even initially accepted a proposal from Essendon to switch codes.
However, one key learning made him immediately change his mind in hilarious fashion.
“I played all different sports and tried different things, but I’ve always been drawn back to rugby league,” Inglis said.
“When I was in Melbourne and that 2010 saga happened, Essendon came over and approached me.
“I said yes, because I loved Melbourne so much and I wanted to stay there.
“Then I found out how many kilometres they run and I went, ‘nope.’”
