The NRL are being urged to take a hard line approach to its players who are flirting with the idea of making a lucrative switch to rugby union.
Wallabies coach Eddie Jones poached Wendell Sailor, Lote Tuqiri and Mat Rogers 20 years ago and history is repeating, with Roosters teen Joseph Suaalii defecting last week.
That star trio joined Rugby Australia ahead of a home World Cup, just as Suaalii will do in 2025 on a three-year deal worth over $5 million.
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No sooner had the ink dried on Suaalii’s new contract before Storm star Nelson Asofa-Solomona was been linked with a similar high-profile move to rugby.
Then on Tuesday, Dolphins young gun Isaiya Katoa revealed his desire to play for the All Blacks, before Rabbitohs captain Cameron Murray also admitted rugby was an option he’d explore.
NRL 360 host Paul Kent said the NRL had to draw a line in the sand to stop a potential exodus by banning players like Suaalii from Origin, while Paul Crawley said they should be expelled from the game as soon as they sign 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 said.
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“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.
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“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.”
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