The NRL is being urged to take a hard-line method to its gamers who’re flirting with the concept of constructing a profitable swap to rugby union.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones poached Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri and Mat Rogers 20 years in the past and historical past seems to be repeating, with Roosters teen Joseph Suaalii defecting final week.
That star trio joined Rugby Australia forward of a house World Cup, simply as Suaalii will do in 2025 on a three-year deal price over $5 million.
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No sooner had the ink dried on Suaalii’s new contract earlier than Storm star Nelson Asofa-Solomona was been linked with an identical high-profile transfer to rugby.
Then on Tuesday, Dolphins younger gun Isaiya Katoa revealed his want to play for the All Blacks, earlier than Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray additionally admitted rugby was an choice he’d discover.
NRL 360 host Paul Kent stated the NRL had to attract a line within the sand to cease a possible exodus by banning gamers like Suaalii from Origin, whereas Paul Crawley stated they need to be expelled from the sport as quickly as they signal with rugby.
“If the NRL just sits there mutely and happily lets players go off and negotiate to play rugby union, without any sort of thought of a consequence as far as whether they can play Origin or whether they get released immediately… then this will just become an annual conversation,” Kent stated.
“Particularly the outside backs and playmakers, they will just continually shop themselves to rugby union. Now this isn’t going to happen every time and this isn’t going to happen to every player but it’s a conversation rugby league doesn’t need and it’s a conversation that only benefits rugby union.
“There used to be consequences way back in the day of amateur rugby union, if you went to league you weren’t allowed to come back.
“Rugby league then came back and actively discouraged players from talking to and going to rugby union.
“I just think the game has got to start standing up for itself. It is not a truly international game like rugby union, we get that, our strength is here which is part of my argument about the World Cup and all the rest of it.
“If the NRL fell over tomorrow rugby league would be dead in 15 years, worldwide, it just would not last.
“The NFL don’t feel the need to put competitions around the world that have got to rival their competition. They are happy putting all their investment into their domestic competition and rugby league needs to start look after its own patch and rugby cannot become a bargaining chip.”
Crawley responded: “Just let him go if he signs, and take the Origin dream away from him.
These kids are entitled (talk to rugby), nobody is saying you can’t do it, but if you want to stay in our game and you want to be part of our future and you wanna get those opportunities, you have to give your commitment to the sport, otherwise someone else gets it.”
Originally printed as ‘Take the dream away from him’: NRL implored to make use of ruthless tactic in struggle towards rugby
Source: www.news.com.au
