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All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke realised a childhood dream by training with his beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs \u2013 and refused to rule out making the switch to the NRL.<\/p>\n
Clarke, who has played 20 Tests for the All Blacks including two games at the World Cup, slogged it out in the heat with Souths on Tuesday morning, and will back up for a second session on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The 24-year-old grew up following Souths \u2013 he was a huge fan of Greg Inglis \u2013 and while he insisted the hit-and-run tune-up was to simply ignite his form ahead of next year\u2019s season with the Auckland Blues, said he had long dreamed of switching codes.<\/p>\n
The stars could easily align for Clarke after ARL Commission chief Peter V\u2019landys just last week told this masthead he wanted to push ahead with giving clubs discounts for signing big-name players in rival codes.<\/p>\n
The Sydney Roosters only recently announced they had recruited Wallabies winger Mark Nawaqanitawase for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.<\/p>\n
Speaking after the field session, Clarke \u2013 who is off contract at the end of next year \u2013 said of a potential league move: \u201cI said it a few years ago, it\u2019s always been a lifelong dream to be able to play in a different code and play league.<\/p>\n
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All Blacks winger Caleb Clarke enjoys pulling on the South Sydney jersey on Tuesday<\/span>Credit: <\/span>South Sydney Rabbitohs<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cI grew up playing a few years of league in high school, and I find it a lot more enjoyable watching league than I do watching rugby, because rugby is a job for me and I have to watch it all the time.<\/p>\n \u201cI find the game so much more enjoyable. Doing that session [on Tuesday], I respect it so much more because it\u2019s so fast and you don\u2019t have much time to think. We\u2019ll definitely see what happens down the track.\u201d<\/p>\n Caleb Clarke on the charge against Australia last year in Melbourne.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n Clarke\u2019s management reached out to Souths, who were more than happy to accommodate him at pre-season training.<\/p>\n Clarke said he was inspired by the power game of Rabbitohs great Inglis, and after trying to stop Latrell Mitchell on an edge on Tuesday Clarke insisted it was impossible not to make the comparisons between the Indigenous stars.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a kid, Greg Inglis was a big inspiration for me and someone I watched growing up,\u201d said Clarke, who counts Souths among his 100,000 followers on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cI kind of followed [Inglis] wherever he went. I watched him a lot more before he moved to Souths, but because he finished here, I said this will be a club I keep supporting.<\/p>\n \u201cHis power, his speed, for someone who didn\u2019t necessarily have that hot step you\u2019d see with Roger [Tuivasa-Sheck], his ability to beat people, and how he could read the game; I don\u2019t want to compare them, but you see Latrell do the same thing.<\/p>\n \u201cI told the boys today, it was so hard defending on the edge when Latrell had the ball, especially when he had time and space.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year didn\u2019t go as planned for me in terms of what I wanted to get out of the season. I came here looking for an edge, or something different I can take into next season.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t expect different results doing the same thing. Being here is that spark and edge I need. Being here and around people I watch on TV, and people I grew up watching, it will push me to do more and get that spark back coming into the 2024 season. I\u2019m still pinching myself. It\u2019s like a dream come true being here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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