Former Melbourne Storm, Cronulla Sharks, Queensland Maroons and Australian Kangaroos centre Will Chambers is set to try his hand at Aussie Rules in what will mark yet another code switch.
Chambers last played first grade rugby league in 2021 with the Cronulla Sharks, with the now 34-year-old playing 226 games in the NRL during a career that also featured 13 State of Origins, seven Tests and three appearances for the Indigenous All Stars.
Debuting in 2007 for the Storm, the Brisbane-born centre's career would flip flop back and forth between the 15 and 13-man games. At the end of 2010, he'd take up his first rugby union contract with the Queensland Reds, before moving to Ireland to play for Munster in 2011 and 2012.
After 34 top flight rugby union games, he moved back to the NRL where he had his most successful stint, playing as part of the all-dominant Storm team between 2012 and 2019, a period where he made all of his Origin and Australian appearances.
At the end of his time with the Storm in 2019, he made the move to play Japanese rugby, before returning to Australia at the height of the coronavirus pandemic and playing for the Cronulla Sharks.
Injury and form would limit the veteran to eight appearances for the black, white and blue, before a brief stint in American rugby was his final professional appearance in 2022.
But he will now turn out in lower level AFL for St Kilda City, according to the Port Phillip Leader.
Growing up in the Northern Territory and spending years in Melbourne has understandably left Chambers with a knowledge of the game, and head coach Richard Houston told the publication that Chambers is a professional person, picking up the sport quickly, and will be a tackling machine.
"He's a very professional person, knows his stuff and is picking up footy really quickly," Houston told the publication.
"He's quite interesting, he's picked up structures really quick and then has a leadership capacity within him to relay what the coaches have told.
"He's an elite sportsman, he is going to pass on a lot of wisdom, hopefully, he can instil no fear into the players.
"He is going to be a tackling machine, once he gets his running patterns down pat... good luck to the blokes that get in front of him."
That would hardly come as a surprise either - Chambers was known for his defence work rate during his time in the NRL, and it was a big part of the reason he was an almost automatic selection for Queensland at Origin level, and Australia at international level, during the prime of his career.
Chambers is expected to play his first match for the Saints on April 15.
