Essendon’s interest in Greg Inglis might best be termed a leisurely pursuit rather than desperate chase.
Nevertheless, coach Matthew Knights is clear in his enthusiasm for a broader pool of talent saying he would be prepared to work slowly and methodically to bring someone like Inglis up to speed in a different code.
The Bombers are believed to have met with the rugby league star and, though he is contracted to the Melbourne Storm, the curiosity appears mutual.
Knights said he was keeping an open mind.
“At Essendon we’re very open minded about all players … we’re really open minded about people coming into our game with athletic talent,” he said.
“The Greg Inglis scenario is something I haven’t delved into at this stage and we’ll talk later if that comes to fruition.
“I think he’s an amazing pure footballer in the code he’s in, having watched him he’s awesome at what he does.
“There’s obviously some intricacies of the (AFL) game he’ll have to learn, but with some of our young players they come in and we give them two or three or four years’ development and they play really good footy after that.
“You’ve got to be patient, there’s no rush, we’ve had guys on our list that have come to fruition at 22-23 rather than 18-19. You’ve got to be broad in your thinking, and at Essendon we certainly are that.”
Swans coach Paul Roos added another perspective to poaching NRL players by suggesting it would be easier for the league’s two expansion clubs to slowly build on the skills of Hunt and Israel Folau, as opposed to an established club picking someone and expecting quicker results.
“Everyone realises with a Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney there is a period of development, not only for Hunt or Folau,” he said.
“It’s completely different because those two teams will have a fair bit of grace period and I think every one will cut Folau and Hunt a bit of slack because obviously they have big salaries, but … people understand they are not going to be superstars from the start.
“Most clubs have got high expectations, you’ve got superstars at all clubs that are making potentially less money, so I think there are a lot more issues going to an existing club than going to a Gold Coast or Greater Western Sydney.”
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