Three-time NRL champion Nathan Cleary says he is “open” to one day playing in the Super League.
But it comes at the same time a fellow Aussie player says the level of training in England’s top competition is “a piece of piss”.
Jake Clifford spent time at the Cowboys and Knights before heading overseas to lace up for Hull FC last year.
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He has returned Down Under to play for North Queensland again this season, and was asked on SEN radio how he would compare a pre-season at Hull to one in Townsville or the Hunter.
“No chance. Pre-season in England was a piece of piss really compared to what we go through here,” Clifford said.
Those comments will no doubt cause a stir in the motherland but Cleary’s revelation may pacify the English league fans.
The 26-year-old halfback has steered Penrith to three consecutive grand final victories, and he almost single-handedly dragged the Panthers back from a 16-point deficit to beat the Broncos last year.
He’s considered by many good judges to be a future Immortal of Australian rugby league, making a potential Super League switch a major coup for the game overseas.
“I’m not against it,” Cleary told the UK’s Mirror this week in Manchester.
“I have a pretty open mind to that kind of stuff.
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“I think just being able to experience different cultures and different experiences is something I enjoy doing. I’m not closed off to that idea.”
Cleary is signed to Penrith until the end of 2027, meaning he will be 30 years old once that contract expires.
He certainly wouldn’t be the first champion NRL playmaker to dabble in the Super League at the back end of his career.
Cleary’s idol Andrew Johns briefly played for Warrington in 2005, and more recently it was 2013 Roosters premiership halves Mitchell Pearce and James Maloney who finished their careers overseas.
A potential sweetener on any Cleary deal could be the fact his current partner, Australian football star Mary Fowler, now plays for Manchester City.
Cleary and his Panthers are in Manchester this week for the World Club Challenge, played on Sunday morning (AEDT).
“I actually really like just being able to wander around the streets and no one knows who you are,” Cleary said of Manchester.
“I think I’ve only been recognised once. It’s a nice change (to Sydney).”
