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‘I still have time’: All Blacks wing Caleb Clarke reveals NRL ‘dream’
Blues and All Blacks wing Caleb Clarke is more than open to a code switch down the track after training with NRL powerhouse the South Sydney Rabbitohs this week.
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Following a tough Test season with New Zealand, which saw Clarke fall down the depth chart below the likes of Leicester Fainga’anuku and Mark Tele’a, the 24-year-old is looking ahead to the future.
Clarke has linked up with one of the biggest clubs in rugby league as he looks to find an “edge” ahead of Super Rugby Pacific 2024 and the dawn of a new All Blacks era under coach Scott Robertson.
The 20-Test All Black trained with the Rabbitohs for a few days this week, but his cameo in green and red might be an insight into the future with Clarke revealing a desire to hop codes.
“That would be an actual dream come true,” Clarke told Newshub earlier this week. “That’s one of those life goal things.
“It would be a dream to play league. Hopefully I still have time to do it.
“I’m young now so hopefully these legs can still carry me.”
Clarke has crossed a lot off of his rugby union to-do list, but there are still “things I’d like to do” in the 15-player game before making a potential switch to the NRL.
The wing burst onto the international rugby scene with a stunning debut in black against the Wallabies at Auckland’s Eden Park in 2022, and it appeared that Clarke was destined for greatness.
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But after a short stint away with the All Blacks Sevens ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Clarke returned to Super Rugby and the Test arena with a point to prove.
With the likes of Mark Tele’a, Will Jordan and Leicester Fainga’anuku seen as preferred options for the All Blacks when it counted, Clarke appears eager to regain some eye-catching form.
Clarke only played two matches at this year’s Rugby World Cup in France, with the powerful wing starting against Namibia and coming off the bench against Uruguay.
“I reflect on the year I had this year and it wasn’t one that I was fully happy with, so going into the next season with the Blues, I wanted to do something different,” Clarke said.
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“I wanted something that would find a bit of an edge.
“Being here in an environment like the Rabbitohs, a team I watch, a team I respect a lot – being able to rub shoulders with the boys, I felt like that would give me that edge just to get another spark in.”
If you look at his overall record of 20 tests and 6 tries he has been a very poor investment for NZ. Added to that he too often dies with the ball and is turned over.
He is definitely a highlights reel player and as a consequence is boosted by the likes of JK and Liam Napier. Finn Morton seems to be another journalist who is dazzled by him and has failed to do any analysis of what he actually contributes.
He should never have been selected for the RWC and even when Narawa went home he was definitely surplus to requirements.
Hope he can make it in the NRL because I very much doubt he will ever be seen in the ABs again.
Go now. Razor has 5 or 6 better wings.
One to watch this year, under Razor.
Go Caleb - your ABs days are over anyway