Melbourne Storm winger Suliasi Vunivalu has vowed to serve the final year of his NRL deal with the club but left the door open for a move to rugby in 2021.
Vunivalu is currently in camp with the Fiji Bati in Auckland preparing for Saturday’s rugby league Test with Samoa as part of a triple-header.
However the 23-year-old could be pulling on the green-and-gold of the Wallabies after reportedly being offered a multi-million dollar deal by Rugby Australia.
The development prompted suggestions of an early release from the Storm.
Vunivalu was reluctant to discuss the possibility of the switch but was clear on his intention to complete the remainder of his current deal with the club.
“It’s just media (talk). I have one more year at the Storm. My focus is on the Storm. Other than that, I got no more comments,” Vunivalu told AAP.
Vunivalu was involved in the Auckland Blues system when he moved to New Zealand at 16 years of age, before Melbourne swooped in two years later.
And he has been a revelation for the club since making his debut in 2016, scoring 73 tries in 95 games for the club along with winning a premiership.
His rapid rise culminated in him being nominated for the Golden Boot award the following year, which was later won by Storm teammate Cameron Smith.
Pressed on whether he had met with RA or had a desire to return to the 15-a-side game, Vunivalu said: “Like I said, I still have one more year at the Storm.
“What happens next year, I’ll make a call then.”
Vunivalu’s return for the Bati comes almost three weeks after the Bali brawl that resulted in Storm teammate Nelson Asofa-Solomona’s three-week ban.
Vunivalu is believed to have been assaulted by a patron, which was the catalyst for Asofa-Solomona’s retaliation, that left him with some facial injuries.
“It’s good to put that stuff behind me now so that I can focus on being in camp with Fiji,” Vunivalu said.
“Being back here to represent my country means a lot. We’ve been building something since the Pacific Test (mid-year). Hopefully we come with our best.”