Greg Inglis has revealed he came close to following South Sydney teammate Sam Burgess in moving to Europe to play rugby union but says any potential roads to the 15-man game are now almost certainly closed.
Ever since breaking into the NRL 10 years ago with Melbourne, Inglis has been constantly linked with potential moves to both rugby and the AFL and admits he's been tempted to try his hand at a different code having won everything he can in rugby league.
However, after committing his long-term future to Souths by signing a new four-year contract earlier this month, the 29-year-old said he'll probably close out his career in the cardinal red and myrtle green.
"Coming over here and trying union is something that's been tossed up for as long as I can remember," Inglis told AAP.
"But over the last year or so me and the wife really did seriously consider it.
"Coming over here (Europe) and trying new things did have a huge appeal, but then we found out we had another baby on the way and that changes things.
"It also came down to the fact that I love rugby league so much and that was something I couldn't get away from.
"We're very settled in Sydney - it's a good place to bring up kids and Souths are a great club who've looked after us so I was happy to re-sign."
Burgess' short spell in English rugby may have ended sourly with the country's rugby media hounding him back to Sydney after making him the scapegoat for their team's disastrous World Cup on home soil, but Inglis believes he's a better player for that experience.
"It took him three games to get back in the swing of it, he'll tell you that himself" he said,
"We didn't have a great season last year at Souths, but I think Sammy played very well.
"I think he's definitely come back a different and better player after rugby."
