Wigan captain Sean O’Loughlin makes his 400th appearance for his hometown club tonight: but he has revealed just how close he came to switching the Warriors for the NRL.
The reigning Super League champions will celebrate O’Loughlin’s Wigan career tonight in the home game against Warrington, as the England skipper moves into an illustrious club of players to have brought up such a significant milestone.
But O’Loughlin has opened up on how an approach from Sydney Roosters almost saw him leave Wigan – before his son and his head coach quickly turned his head.
He said: “I know some boys have the ambition to go and play in Australia but my ambition has always been to be successful here.
“There’s been a few genuine offers over the years where I’ve had to sit down and discuss it with my family.
“Probably the nearest was in 2012. I spoke to the Roosters but, when I mentioned it to my boy, he said ‘no chance’.
“It was Waney’s first year and when I spoke to him about it he wasn’t too happy. You can’t be blinkered, you’ve always got to keep your eyes open, especially from the financial side of things. But for me we got to an agreement and I was glad to stay.”
O’Loughlin, however, did admit he had one regret in his career to date.
He said: “I would have liked to have played more games internationally. Some of the injuries I’ve had kept me out of some big games. I would have loved to have been part of some of the earlier World Cups, that’s why I’m really looking forward to this year.”
