Andy Saunders: Quirindi-raised ex-Bulldog contemplates ceasing his NRL quest

At age 27, and with his body feeling the effects of nine seasons in the NRL system, the Quirindi-raised prop is seriously contemplating calling time on his NRL quest.

The main reason for that, he said, was the COVID-induced drop in salaries being offered to players like himself who were not in an NRL squad.

Read also:

That sobering reality has left Penrith-based Saunders feeling nostalgic for his former life in Quirindi, where he attended high school before going to Farrer in years 11 and 12.

He is eyeing a possible return to the region with his new fiancee, Tamworth-raised Tayla Phillis, who will this year enter the police academy in Goulburn.

Saunders - whose sole NRL appearance was for Canterbury in 2017 - said he still "loves" the game and wanted to continue playing, "even if it's back home in the Tamworth area".

His family and Phillis's family still live in Quirindi and Tamworth.

"That's the ideal plan, to get back into the Tamworth area to be a bit closer to our families," he said. "It all depends on where her work takes me."

He laughed when told that Kootingal-Moonbi coach Geoff Sharpe, a high-ranking Tamworth police officer, might try to sign him if he returned home.

"I'm surprised he hasn't hit me up already, Sharpey," he said.

The couple have been together eight years, having met in Tamworth while Saunders was on a break from rugby league.

"She's a Tamworth girl born and bred," he said.

While Saunders - signed by Penrith as a 16-year-old - said he had received offers to play this season, he had to decide if it was worth continuing to chase his NRL dream given the reduced salaries and the hardship caused by juggling full-time training with full-time work (he is a sales rep at Austral Bricks).

"I really don't know, I really don't know - it's all up in the air at the moment," he said of his plans for this season, after he played Canterbury Cup for Manly feeder club the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles in 2019 (the 2020 Canterbury Cup season was cancelled due to COVID).

He continued: "I think I may come back [to the Canterbury Cup] ... I've just gotta see what happens. At the end of the day, the goal is to get back in the top squad.

"But in saying that, I'm 27 now going on 28. I can't get much more out of the game ... [but] I'm still very undecided; I still don't know what this year is gonna bring me."

Saunders said a host of fringe NRL players had left NRL clubs due to lack of money on offer since COVID struck.

He said clubs this year would rely heavily on younger players when selecting Canterbury Cup sides.

"To be honest, I can make a lot more money playing local A-grade than what I could do playing reserve grade [Canterbury Cup] this year. It's ridiculous."