Former NRL winger Nene Macdonald has revealed he is chasing a return to the competition.
Once rated among the best wingers in the game, Macdonald has become something of a journeyman, being unable to lock time down at any one club.
The now 30-year-old debuted with the Sydney Roosters in 2014 and played 11 games, before moving onto the Gold Coast Titans where he played 34 games between 2015 and 2016.
His best stint may well have been at the St George Illawarra Dragons, playing 46 games across the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He would then move to the North Queensland Cowboys and Cronulla Sharks for failed seasons in 2019 and 2020, before not making it onto the field in 2021.
He has played across three different clubs in as many years in the English Super League since, representing the Leigh Centurions in 2022, the Leeds Rhinos in 2023, and the Salford Red Devils in 2024.
All up, he has 168 top flight appearances across both Australia and England to go with 16 Tests for Papua New Guinea, three matches for the PNG Prime Minister's XIII, and two matches for the World All Stars.
Despite never being able to hold down a spot at a single club, Macdonald, who made the 2024 Super League Dream Team speaking to NRL media claimed he is ready to return to the NRL.
โI feel like off-field I'm getting things right. I'm just doing the right things with my training and eating, and sort of departing from my old ways,โ Macdonald told the publication.
โIt showed in the Super League. I had a good season, so organising my life off the field helped me on the field.
โIf anyone needs me, I'm ready. I'm very happy at Salford, as well, but everyone wants to play NRL. That's the top comp.โ
The winger, who went on to admit he hasn't concentrated on his training at times throughout his career, claimed he is in the best shape of his life and has finally sorted his off-field output to allow his on-field to thrive.
It's not hard to see the results either over the last three seasons, with his campaign at Salford in 2024 seeing him finish fourth in the Super League's Man of Steel award.
Macdonald is currently in the Papua New Guinea Kumuls squad at the Pacific Bowl tournament.
