Former Broncos captain Alex Glenn is ready to come out of retirement to play for Cook Islands against Papua New Guinea – but only if needed.
Glenn is a member of Karmichael Hunt’s coaching staff, but Cook Islands applied for him to be added to their squad and he has been cleared to play after undergoing a series of tests last week.
The 36-year-old retired at the end of the 2021 season after 285 NRL matches for Brisbane, 12 Tests for New Zealand and two for the Cook Islands.
However, Glenn has remained fit and recently played in a tournament on the Gold Coast involving Cook Islands teams from NSW, Queensland and the Pacific nation.
I’m an assistant coach but if needed, I’m ready to lace the boots up,” Glenn said.
“I obviously retired three years ago, but in that three years, I’ve had a lot of charity games. I played in the Cook Islands tri-series about a month and a half ago, so if the time came and they said I need to lace the boots up, I’m ready to go.”
Glenn has been wearing a GPS monitor while training with the Cook Islands team as if he is going to play and was named in an extended squad for Sunday’s match against the Kumuls at Santos Stadium.
Even if the Aitu beat Papua New Guinea, they need to overcome a 76-point differential with Fiji to win the Pacific Bowl, but Glenn said the main focus was preparing for next year’s World Series and the 2026 World Cup, if they qualify.
“For me and Karmichael, it’s about developing and trying to put Cook Islands on the map ahead of the World Cup in 2026. That’s our focus,” he said.
“We want to bring the old in with the new and really tailor them, so that we’re flying in 2026.”
