NRL chief executive David Gallop yesterday held secret talks with Storm superstar Greg Inglis to ensure he does not follow Mark Gasnier and Sonny Bill Williams to French rugby.
As the Panthers rejected claims back-rower Frank Pritchard feigned injury during the loss to Melbourne on Monday night because he is poised to walk out and play overseas, Gallop held talks with Inglis in his office to discuss ways of keeping him in the code.
While the Storm initiated the meeting, the NRL used it to discuss a raft of marketing possibilities to strengthen Inglis's standing as one of the game's headline acts. Clearly, the big sell is on.
But if Inglis or Melbourne thinks it is a sure sign the NRL is prepared to throw truckloads of cash at the Australian and Queensland superstar, they should think again.
"I made it clear we can't make exceptions [under the salary cap] despite his status in the game," Gallop told the Herald last night. "I used the example of someone like Terry Campese. He's not in the top five players in the game but he's just as important to the Raiders as Greg is to the Storm."
The talks are a proactive attempt from Gallop and the NRL to stem the flow of elite players to Europe after being widely accused of doing too little.
Melbourne are desperate to upgrade and extend Inglis's contract before it expires at the end of the 2010 season - hopefully for at least another two seasons - and more so since Inglis told journalists he would not rule out a move to French rugby.
He has also refused to rule out a switch to manager Khoder Nasser, who manages Inglis's close friend, boxer Anthony Mundine, and was instrumental in Williams's defection to French rugby side Toulon.
Inglis's manager, Allan Gainey, attended the meeting with Gallop yesterday alongside Storm football manager Frank Ponissi and NRL marketing manager Paul Kind. The NRL wants to give Inglis a higher profile - especially in the indigenous community - so he can build his earnings from the game.
Like Gasnier, he can pursue opportunities with the NRL's stable of sponsors but Gallop wanted him to hear from his own mouth that nothing could be guaranteed. When Gasnier's third-party arrangements fell through, Dragons chief executive Peter Doust and manager George Mimis blamed the NRL for failing to secure the deals. "One of the lessons we from the Mark Gasnier situation was to make sure the player knew the rules direct from us rather than the agent and the club," Gallop said.
Taking a swipe at Gasnier and Williams, Storm chief executive Brian Waldron said Inglis had no plans to abandon the game but merely wanted to maximise his earning potential.
"The NRL wasn't happy about Gasnier and Williams going, but that's the good thing about GI: there's some decency about him," Waldron said.
Whether Pritchard has played his last game in Australia still remains murky but his immediate future will be known today when he undergoes an MRI scan on one or both of his shoulders.
Panthers general manager Mick Leary spent most of yesterday investigating claims the Kiwi international had faked injury to avoid returning to the field in the 40-6 loss to Melbourne at CUA Stadium on Monday night. The Herald has been told some members of Matthew Elliott's coaching staff remain sceptical that Pritchard could not return. "I've spoken to Frank at length and the football department and I believe them when they say he was genuinely injured," Leary said.
Pritchard has been linked to English club Leeds - and even to French rugby - but Leary insisted he would not be granted a release. Panthers board member Greg Alexander vowed on Monday night to investigate whether Pritchard was genuinely injured. "I've spoken to the club today and I'm confident he's shoulders are no good," he said yesterday. Pritchard's agent, David Riolo, refused to comment.
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