He represented Queensland in State of Origin and played for Australia (the Kangaroos) 16 times, including winning the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, where he was the top try-scorer and player of the tournament.

[3] He returned to rugby league in May 2008 with NRL club the St George Illawarra Dragons after his ban expired,[4] playing for two seasons (the second of which was under his old Brisbane coach, Wayne Bennett), before retiring.

He quickly became a home crowd favourite in Brisbane because of his speed and power and would soon become a household name in the rugby league world.

During the 1994 NSWRL season, Sailor played on the wing for the defending premiers Brisbane when they hosted British champions Wigan for the 1994 World Club Challenge.

He then earned his first Test cap against Great Britain, as a starting wing in their loss at Wembley Stadium in late October.

The following year, when all players were again allowed to be selected for representative football, Sailor's debut for the Queensland Maroons came in Game I of the 1996 State of Origin series.

He was the top try-scorer for the Broncos and helped them win Super League's expanded 1997 World Club Championship tournament and then the premiership, defeating the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks 26–8 in the grand final.

In the 1997 post season, Sailor was selected to play for Australia on the wing in all three matches of the Super League Test series against Great Britain.

[12] He played for the Broncos on the wing and scored a try in their 2000 NRL grand final win over the Sydney Roosters, gaining himself another premiership ring.

Shortly before travelling to England with Brisbane for the 2001 World Club Challenge, Sailor declared he was "leaning towards" switching codes following advice from rugby union convert and former Broncos teammate Peter Ryan.

During the 2007 season at the Broncos' 20-year anniversary celebration, the club announced a list of the 20 best players to play for them over the two decades since their inception in 1988 which included Sailor.

The deal, worth approximately $700,000 per year,[18] was formally completed in July, with Sailor set to leave League on the first day of November.

Sailor made his Wallaby debut with former Queensland Maroons teammate and league convert Mat Rogers in a Test match against France in June 2002.

Sailor came off contract with the Reds after the 2005 Super 12 season, the media speculated that he would either move to Japan or sign with new franchise Western Force.

On 13 May 2006, hours before the final pool match of the Super 14 competition, it was announced that Sailor was to be suspended indefinitely from representing either the NSW Waratahs or Australian Rugby Team after returning a positive drug test for cocaine.

The second test results were not published to the media within the timeframe expected, leading to speculation that Sailor's 'B' sample had proved inconclusive or been mishandled, thereby providing an opportunity for appeal.

[24] When the matter was heard in the ARU Judicial Body, his legal team argued that he had not ingested cocaine within the 96 hours prior to the urine sample being taken.

[25] When quizzed by counsel for the ARU, Sailor admitted that during previous drug tests he had received anti-doping information cards which carry the warning that all elite athletes are responsible for any banned substance in their system.

[28] Sailor returned to rugby league playing initially for the Shellharbour Marlins (Dragons feeder team) in the New South Wales Cup.

On 6 June, on the weekend preceding State of Origin game two, Sailor made his NRL comeback in a depleted St. George Illawarra lineup against his former club, the Brisbane Broncos.

Sailor played a few more games for the Dragons as well as the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup whenever he did not make the St. George Illawarra NRL side.

Sailor was named in the 70-man Indigenous Australia squad alongside fellow Dragon Jamie Soward for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup.

Sailor's final match was the 2010 All Stars game for the Indigenous team played at Skilled Park on the Gold Coast on 13 February 2010.

He scored the opening try for the inaugural match and celebrated the try by picking up the corner post and played it like a didgeridoo with teammates dancing in the way of a corroboree.