Brisbane Broncos captain Alex Glenn almost joined Penrith Panthers
Newly appointed Brisbane Broncos skipper Alex Glenn had one foot in the door at a rival NRL club before the premature retirement of a star teammate sealed his future at Red Hill.
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Newly appointed Brisbane Broncos skipper Alex Glenn has spoken about the time he almost joined Penrith.
When off-season negotiations with Brisbane had stalled, Glenn flew to Sydney to take a tour of the Panthers’ $22 million rugby league academy.
He was strongly considering a switch to Western Sydney before reaching a deal with Brisbane — and then being named skipper.
“It (the interest) was genuine when I came to check out Penrith. I didn’t really have much interest from Brisbane at that time,” Glenn said at the Kayo Sports NRL shoot.
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“I thought I was most likely going to move down to Sydney.
“When me and my fiancee, Jemma, came down, we had a look at Penrith and their facilities. I got to meet Ivan (Cleary) and had a great chat with him. I also met a couple of people from the board.
“I got a good vibe from them. They are great people and they made me feel welcome. It could have been a possibility if things went a bit further.
“If what happened to Matt Gillett didn’t go down then I could have been down in Sydney.
“But things happen for a reason and good things come to those who wait.
“My manager said to be patient and not rush into any decision. And I’m glad we did wait it out because it wouldn’t have felt the same if I was playing for a different club.”
Glenn is now leading one of the most famous clubs in rugby league.
He is following in the captaincy footsteps of Broncos legends Wally Lewis, Allan Langer, Gene Miles, Kevin Walters, Gorden Tallis, Justin Hodges, Petero Civoniceva, Sam Thaiday and Darren Lockyer.
“It’s such a huge honour,” Glenn said. “It hasn’t sunk in. To represent a club that gave me my first opportunity, it’s so surreal, bro.
“I look at when I first came to this club, when I signed my first NRL contract. I wanted to go somewhere that would teach me to be a great footballer.
“To go to the Brisbane Broncos, where they produce so many legends of the game ... Darren Lockyer was my first captain when I came here.
“He is one of the best players to ever lace up a boot. To rub shoulders with him and play football alongside him ... I used to idolise him.
“To be in a position now where I get to captain this great club, it’s just a huge honour.
“It means more to me than just being a captain. I want to do this organisation, and the past players, proud.
“I want to be true to what I believe in and that’s to be a great football player but an even better person of the field.”