Jesse Parahi’s gamble to ditch NRL pays off with place in Aussie team for Rio

Jesse Parahi’s decision to ditch rugby league and return to sevens paid dividends on Thursday when the forward was named in Australia’s squad for next month’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

The 27-year-old helped Australia advance to Rio last year when they clinched the Oceania qualification tournament in Auckland before he switched to the National Rugby League’s Wests Tigers.

However, he cut short his contract with the Tigers in April, after a succession of injuries restricted his playing time, in a final attempt to make the “Thunderbolts” team for Rio.

“I’m over the moon to be on the team,” Parahi said on Thursday after being named at a ceremony in Sydney. “It was a bitter pill to swallow knowing I’d given up the dream of playing at the Olympics.

“In the end, however, it has helped me get into this team as I was able to work on some of the weaker parts of my game before returning, so everything happens for a reason I guess.”

None of the Super Rugby or Wallabies players who had attempted to make the squad were selected by coach Andy Friend, with Nick Cummins and Henry Speight losing the race against the clock to overcome injury.

Tom Cusack (wrist) and Nick Malouf (knee) overcame injuries to make the final cut, with the 23-year-old Cusack spending much of his rehabilitation time scouting their opposition at Rio, where they face heavyweights South Africa, France and Spain in pool B.