BEING a sportsman takes a lot of guts, determination and dedication.
For professional rugby league players, it’s a lot of sacrifice and, whilst talent can get you spotted, there is no substitute for hard work.
That being said, some current Super League players have flirted with the idea of playing a different sport whether in the past or in the future. Here are five that would excel in a different arena.
Ryan Brierley – Salford Red Devils – Football
Ryan Brierley is fulfilling his boyhood dream playing rugby league for the Salford Red Devils, but there was a time when the fullback was on the books at Preston North End. Growing up, Brierley had the opportunity to choose between football and rugby league and he chose the latter, though he does still follow Preston in the Championship as his social media accounts reveal. With electric pace that the Scotland international possesses as well as the agility and footwork, it isn’t too difficult to see why the 32-year-old had an option to go down the football route either.
Herbie Farnworth – The Dolphins and England – Football
Not many rugby league players can say that they were on the books at Burnley and Manchester United. Well, except for one – Herbie Farnworth. The current Brisbane Broncos star began a youth career with Burnley before being spotted by United scouts aged 11. That being said, rugby league was Farnworth’s big dream and, aged just 17, joined the Broncos. The 25-year-old’s rise has since been meteoric, progressing through the Broncos’ U20 Holden Cup squad and feeder club Norths Devils in the second-tier Queensland Cup, before getting his NRL debut in 2019. The centre made his England debut in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup and has excelled on the international stage ever since, with Farnworth now plying his trade with The Dolphins.
Mikolaj Oledzki – Leeds Rhinos and England – Swimming
Not many people know this, but Polish-born prop Mikolaj Oledzki excelled in swimming at a young age. Moving to the UK aged nine, Oledzki’s family settled in Northamptonshire where he picked up swimming. The 26-year-old was so impressive that he made it to county level for Northamptonshire before discovering rugby league when his family moved to Leeds. The rest, as they say, is history and Oledzki has transformed into one of England’s most exciting forwards, becoming the only Polish-born star to play in Super League.
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves – Hull KR and New Zealand – Golf
At the age of 35, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves had won three NRL Grand Finals with Sydney Roosters before making the move to Hull KR for the 2025 Super League season. But, the New Zealand enforcer could well have gone down the golf route had he stuck to the tee early on his life. Waerea-Hargreaves actually moved to Australia on a golf scholarship, winning the Australian under-13s championship in Western Australia in 2002 after being runner-up the year before. He did, however, turn his attention to rugby when the NSW Waratahs signed him in 2007 before moving codes to rugby league.
Jai Field – Wigan Warriors – Sprinting
Jai Field has made his name in Super League for his lightning quick pace, but we could well have been seeing him on the Olympic stage rather than the rugby league stage had he gone down the sprinting route in his early life. Australian newspaper, The Daily Telegraph reported that Field had won a number of medals sprinting for New South Wales over 100 metres as a teenager before trying his hand at rugby.
“Growing up, I had a sprinting background and used to train four, five days a week,’’ Field told The Daily Telegraph.
“I was a state sprinter right through primary school but then, at about 13, I stayed real small.
“So that’s when I started to focus on other things. I was 13 racing men with moustaches and beards so decided to give it away. But as I’ve grown and matured my speed has come back.”
