KEY POINTS:
Brad Thorn is again thinking about playing rugby. But not in New Zealand, or Australia.
"I wish there were two of me," Brad Thorn says before breaking into one of his husky but hearty laughs.
He might have said it in jest but you get the sense that,
underneath it all, he wouldn't mind living out two lives.
First there would be Brad Thorn, the Brisbane Broncos second-rower. Then there would be Brad Thorn, the All Black who might now be dreaming of lifting the World Cup in France.
Both scenarios would sit comfortably on his broad shoulders and he is happy with his lot, particularly after the Broncos won their sixth title in 2006 and Thorn his fourth.
Although he does not regret any of his decisions, he sometimes wonders what might have happened had he remained in rugby in 2005.
Others no doubt wonder as well. Would he have worked his way back into the All Blacks, having missed the 2004 end-of-year tour, the first under the present regime headed by Graham Henry? Would he have been among the 30 players to contest the World Cup?
The way Thorn talks so fondly of his rugby days - he says playing for the All Blacks and going to the 2003 World Cup was "by far the highlight of my career" and was "such a precious time for me" - it might still seem strange to some that he turned his back on the 15-man code. Especially after working so hard to fulfil the dream he had as a five-year-old growing up in Mosgiel of pulling on the black jersey.
"I sometimes wondered what the heck I did, too. Some people said I was always going to go back to league - that wasn't true. It was a really tough decision for me.
"It'd be awesome to win a [rugby] World Cup but it was also awesome to win another NRL title. They're two games and two places I love."
That is why Thorn wishes he had a double. Perhaps, though, he already has one - there are certainly many sides to him.
The 32-year-old seems straightforward enough, yet he's a complex individual shaped by his background and the decisions he has made. He's thoughtful, unassuming and polite, yet self-confident and self-conscious.
It's obvious he enjoys a challenge, which is one of the main reasons he switched to rugby and then reverted back to league, and clearly he likes to make his own decisions rather than have others make them for him.
After all, he turned down the All Blacks in his first season back in rugby in 2001 because he didn't think he deserved selection.
Many were dumbfounded by this decision, especially as he had talked about playing for the All Blacks as something he treasured but for others, it only increased their admiration for Thorn.
The 32-year-old is at something of a crossroads again in 2007.
His three-year deal with the Broncos ends this season and now, in his 10th year with Brisbane, Thorn is weighing up his future.
"I've been thinking lately that it might be good to finish my career by having a crack for one or two years overseas, in rugby or league," he says. "There's decent coin there, it would be a great experience for my family while my [three] children are still under five and it would be a new challenge, a new competition with different players.
"Despite what people might think, it's quite hard changing codes. It's a lot of stress, particularly in the first year, so it would be easier to stay in league. But rugby is definitely an option. I'm looking into what I could do at the moment."
He's also studying part-time to become a high school PE teacher and dreams of living in Cromwell for a couple of years once his playing days are over so he can introduce his children to the great New Zealand outdoors.
Despite his advancing years and the fact he feels old around his youthful team-mates, Thorn still has a desire to play at the highest level.
He loves to push himself and win. "If you're not hungry, you don't push yourself," he explains. "I feel as passionate as ever."
The problem has been that the passion hasn't translated into wins for him and his team-mates of late. The Broncos have had a dreadful start to the season and sit near the bottom after four losses and only one win, against the lowly Roosters.
There have been player summits, chief executive Bruno Cullen has described the situation as the club's biggest challenge in almost a decade, Australian selectors came under fire for picking six Broncos in the Kangaroos side for Friday night and some commentators have even questioned whether the club will miss the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.
Thorn has seen it all before, most notably in 1999 when they lost their first five games after winning the premiership the year before. They qualified for the top eight but didn't progress much further.
"When you win a grand final, you can sometimes expect things to flow on and play at that level again," he says. "It all starts again and that's what we're trying to do now."
People would be foolhardy to write off the Broncos. They have set the standard for the past decade and still contain a wealth of talent and experience.
Thorn has really only known highs during his professional sporting career and, if he was to finish with the Broncos this season, would love to again end on a high.
"I've been really lucky in my life," he says thoughtfully before traipsing over to a group of young but patient autograph hunters.
