Former Rugby Australia Boss Reveals Near Signings of NRL Stars
Former Rugby Australia (RA) chairman Hamish McLennan has disclosed that he almost secured the services of NRL stars Angus Crichton and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii during his tenure.
McLennan, who was removed from the RA role in November 2023, shared that Crichton was on the verge of making the code switch, but concerns over his perceived “damaged goods” status prevented the deal from materializing.
“Angus Crichton is another one we should have had. The Crichtons are family friends and when he was going through his tough times at the Roosters, I was contacted. Angus absolutely would have come back, but there were concerns he was damaged goods at RA.”
As for Suaalii, who made a stunning Wallabies debut last week after signing a lucrative contract to leave the NRL, McLennan believes the young star could one day captain the national team.
“I think Joseph could easily be a Wallabies captain. He is such a good role model for young kids. If you are a kid who is deciding between rugby union or rugby league, there will be a ton of kids saying I want to be like Joseph Suaalii and that was always the plan to get him back to rugby.”
Additionally, McLennan revealed that he was contacted by a third party who claimed that NRL star Nathan Cleary was interested in switching codes, though he left it alone after departing RA.
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