Sharks skipper Paul Gallen says off-contract forward Andrew Fifita is better off sticking with the NRL next year, because he won't have any fun in rugby union.
Fifita is reportedly mulling a lucrative switch to union when his contract with Cronulla expires at the end of the season, and NSW Waratahs coach Michael Cheika has already expressed interest in the Blues and Kangaroos forward.
The 24-year-old has a background in rugby, having played back-row in the Brumbies academy as a youngster, and the Australian Rugby Union is believed to be keen to bankroll a move for him.
But Gallen says he expects Fifita will remain in the NRL beyond this season – though whether he re-signs with the Sharks is another story.
"I had a good chat to him the other day. I said to him, 'Mate you don't want to go to rugby union'," Gallen told the SportsFan Clubhouse on Thursday night. "He said [jokingly], 'It's only for two years!'
"I don't think he'll have fun in rugby union. You should see him in training. He's all about having fun - he's the life of the party, the loudest bloke in the group.
"I don't think he's going to be able to express himself in rugby union.
"I don't think he'll go. But I wouldn't say I'm 100 percent confident he's going to stay with Cronulla."
