Kostjasyn ‘scouting’ NRL for Ireland

Newcastle Knights utility player Rory Kostjasyn is ‘scouting’ in the NRL for players with Irish heritage, he has revealed.

Koastjasyn played three games for the Wolfhounds at the 2013 World Cup, and is hopeful that he will play for them again in this year’s tournament.

Injury has prevented the 29-year-old from playing for Ireland since then, but he has kept in touch with the Irish players, and retains a sense of himself as part of the squad.

“That is something I would like to talk to Tyrone McCarthy about and get some feelers out to the boys if they are interested,” he told RLWC2017.com.

“You are just not sure who they are until they put their hand up and say ‘I am Irish, I want to play for Ireland’.

“We got heavily flogged [in 2013] but it was a great experience, so it would be good to get in contact with some of the other Irish guys who probably aren’t sure how they put their hand up for selection with the Irish Rugby League because I know when I was 19 or 20 I didn’t really know how to go about it.

“Unfortunately I have had a few off-season surgeries and haven’t been able to get back over to play but it was a really good group of blokes and we got on really well so I’d love the chance to play with them again.

“Obviously there is a long season ahead but it is in the back of your mind that the World Cup is at the end of the year and if I am fit I will put my hand up for selection.”