A veteran of the NRL, forward Jordan McLean has reportedly made a call on his future as he nears the final months of his current contract with the North Queensland Cowboys.
Formerly with the Melbourne Storm, with whom he won a Grand Final in 2017, McLean moved to the Cowboys at the start of 2018 and has since gone on to feature in 152 first-grade matches for the club.
A proud New South Welshman, he also represented the Australian Kangaroos on eight occasions between 2017-18, in which he was part of the squad that won the 2017 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC), as well as representing NSW Country and the Prime Minister’s XIII.
Recently becoming the first NRL player in 15 years to share the field with both a father (Tom Learoyd-Lahrs) and son (Kaiden Lahrs), McLean is set to announce his retirement from the NRL, per News Corp.
It is understood that the Cowboys are aware of McLean’s decision, as the 33-year-old had been weighing whether to play on for an extra season.
The forward’s decision to hang up the boots will see the Cowboys shift their focus to Braidon Burns, Jake Clifford, Tom Duffy, Jamal Shibasaki and Semi Valemei, all of whom remain off-contract at the end of 2025.
Unlikely to remain in Townsville, Canberra Raiders coach Ricky Stuart has previously confirmed to The Canberra Times that Jake Clifford was a player of interest.
It is understood that if Clifford were to move to the nation’s capital, it would be on a two-year contract.
“Yeah, he’s one of three or four blokes I’ve spoken to,” Stuart said via the publication.
“I’m not in any rush. There’s three or four guys there that we’re looking at and, as I said, I’m not in any rush.
“We’ve got a lot on our plate at the moment, coming into the back end of the season, and we’ll make that decision when it’s right for us.”
This comes as the Raiders eye a replacement for Jamal Fogarty, who will depart the club for the Manly Sea Eagles at the end of the season.
While Ethan Strange and Ethan Sanders are the long-term halves combination at the Raiders, it hasn’t stopped the club from looking for an experienced half to help nurture and develop the young duo.
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