I'm not rocked and copyalater!
"AUSTRALIAN Test halfback Johnathan Thurston has rocked rugby league with the stunning admission he is considering a switch to the rival code rugby union. "I could easily see myself being a Wallaby," the champion halfback told The Daily Telegraph.
Thurston said he didn't share the same sense of lifetime loyalty to rugby league felt by Australian captain Darren Lockyer, who has rejected several past approaches from the 15-man code.
While the North Queensland Cowboys remain confident of securing Thurston long-term, there are genuine fears the dual Dally M Medal winner and Queensland poster boy will defect to rugby after next year's NRL season.
"I could easily play rugby. I watch the Wallabies and a fair bit of it and I could certainly see myself playing the game," Thurston said. "I have to think about what's best for me, and if playing rugby is what's best for me, I'll take that option up."
Thurston's comments will go down like a lead balloon in rugby league circles. As the game is moving to unite under an independent commission - partly to help pay its best players more - the man rated by many as the No. 1 star in the game is now talking of deserting the code.
Rugby union, which has already poached NRL superstars Mark Gasnier and Sonny Bill Williams in recent years, has the bank-roll to lure Thurston.
The Australian Rugby Union's new Super 15 franchise Melbourne, set to launch in 2011, is hunting an inaugural pin-up boy.
And Thurston's manager Sam Ayoub already has in his possession a $1.1 million-per-year offer from Japanese rugby.
Ayoub is also seeking formal interest from the ARU and prospective Super 14 clubs. "Everything ... lifestyle, code, the Cowboys, my representative jerseys ... these are all things I am weighing up," Thurston said. "I wouldn't say it's a stressful situation to be in.
"It could be worse, that no one wants a part of me, so it's pretty exciting. Now it's about making the right decision.
"I need to chat to my family. I've had a chat to my manager about a couple of things, but I still need to explore my options with rugby."
Asked if he shared the stance of Test record-holder Lockyer, who has declared "I could never leave the game to chase a bigger cheque", the Cowboys captain said: "I don't really think about it like that. I could easily go if I think it's the right option."
At least two rival NRL outfits - including the Bulldogs - have held talks with the star No. 7. A key asset in the Cowboys' favour is Thurston's girlfriend Samantha Lynch, the club's sponsorship manager, with the couple settled in Townsville."
Matt Marshall Daily Telegraph
