‘My heart is in rugby’
In-demand teenager Max Jorgensen told Roosters coach Trent Robinson his “heart is in rugby union” before turning down a potential switch to the NRL club and extending his contract with Rugby Australia for another two years. Jorgensen ended months of crosscode speculation by opting to continue chasing his Wallabies dream, and re-signing with the Waratahs and RA on Tuesday.
The contract will give the 19-yearold a chance to play against the British and Irish Lions next year, but in an intriguing twist, Jorgensen and RA settled on a deal that means he will come off contract again before the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027.
The 15-cap Waratah became the hottest property in Sydney footy over the past few months, with the Roosters and other NRL clubs expressing interest in the talented fullback. Jorgensen said he’d met Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt and Robinson to discuss his future, but contrary to reports he’d received a massive offer from the Roosters, he had not discussed a deal and never seriously contemplated making a switch to rugby league next year.
“The Roosters were interested but I didn’t really explore it too much,” Jorgensen said. “I have a good relationship with ‘Robbo’ so I did have a chat with him, I won’t deny that. But I said to him that my heart is in rugby union, I want to play union. So I never really explored it. I was just more talking to Rugby Australia.” Asked if there was a moment he’d made a choice between the codes, Jorgensen said: “I think I just always wanted to stay in union. There is a big three years coming up with the British and Irish Lions and the World Cup, and they are massive things you want to do in your career.
“I have a lot of things I want to do in union. I haven’t played for the Wallabies so that is a big goal of mine, and I want to obviously go well with the Tahs and hopefully make some finals there. They are the main things.
“It’s been a long time, over a month now, of contract negotiations so it is so good to finally get it done.”