Former professional footballer Craig Wing launches property career
He carved out a highly successful career across two codes, but popular rugby league player Craig Wing is now looking to make his mark in the real estate world.
Retired professional rugby league and rugby union player Craig Wing has launched a new real estate career as a private buyers agent.
Craig Wing has joined the Neutral Bay-based firm Alsaker Buyers Agents, and said he would be working with high end properties across the lower north shore, the eastern suburbs, inner city and harbour front areas.
“I have been in the property market myself for about 20 years and have always enjoyed it,” he said.
MORE: Palm Beach stunner sells for $21m
Live in Reese Witherspoon’s ‘Big Little Lies’ house
Wing said he had helped teammates over the years with their own property purchases. So when retirement from professional rugby loomed, he looked at real estate as his next career.
With a Bachelor of Commerce and Masters of Business and Technology, Business Administration and Management, both from the University of NSW under his belt, he was well advanced already.
He achieved his full real estate licence earlier this year, and started with Alsaker last month, after a stint working as an accredited mortgage broker and wealth management consultant.
Alsaker, a boutique agency owned by Will Roberts and Caroline Cook, specialises in properties over $3 million and also in strategic commercial property investment.
Wing said his time as a professional player — a lot of it spent in the media spotlight — had increased the appeal of working as a buyers agent for clients who wanted to guard their privacy.
He said it was also an opportunity to work in real estate without having to push his own profile to hard. He said he hoped retirement would mean a little less of the spotlight.
“For me, it ticks all the boxes,” he said.
This weekend though, he will be taking time off the new job to head to Perth for the second State of Origin match.
Wing has some impressive rugby league pedigrees. He played more than 250 NRL games during his careers in the early 2000s, most with the Sydney Roosters, and also at South Sydney Rabbitohs.
He played in 12 State of Origin games for NSW from 2003 to 2009, and is an ambassador with NSW Rugby League.
He is a close friend of Blues coach Brad “Freddy” Fittler, and said he had confidence in the league legend, who has been copping heat all week for his team line-up.
Writing in an online column for the NRL this week, Wing said he believed fans and commentators should wait and see what the plan was for the new team before passing judgment.
“I’ve known Brad Fittler for a long time and he’s never been shy about thinking outside the box,” he wrote.
“Freddy shocked a lot of people when he unveiled a new-look NSW team for Origin II featuring seven changes (three of them injury-forced) from the team that narrowly lost game one up Suncorp.
“I’ve heard a lot of people say they are panic changes, or that Freddy has lost the plot or even that he has no idea what he’s doing.
“I say we should wait and see what Freddy’s plan is for this new team before we judge him. I want to stress from the outset that I think this is a good team — one that can take the series to a decider. They are all good players. I’m on board and I hope all the NSW fans are the same.
“Everyone likes to have a crack at NSW and especially kick them when they’re down. Opinions are everywhere.”
Shortly after landing in Perth today, Wing said he was tipping a NSW win, which will force a decided for game three at Sydney’s ANZ Stadium on July 10.
He was even confident enough to offer a score.
“I am tipping 14 to 10 our way,” he said.
SIGN UP HERE FOR THE NSW REAL ESTATE NEWSLETTER
Originally published as Former professional footballer Craig Wing launches property career