One of the men central to the Rugby Football League’s new panel to determine the future of the England national team has publicly endorsed the NRL’s potential investment into Super League as ‘pivotal’ for the future of the game.

The governing body have ordered a review into the early exits from the Rugby League World Cup for both England’s men and women. It will include some of the biggest and best names to have represented England in the modern era.

And one of those, former Super League and NRL star Adrian Morley, has publicly advocated a deal for the Australian governing body to invest in the British game.

Adrian Morley backs NRL-Super League deal

Speaking on James Graham’s The Bye Round podcast, Morley insisted that as he prepares to offer his views to the RFL on what the national team needs to do in order to succeed, support from the NRL would, in his eyes at least, be incredibly welcome.

He said: “Yeah well, if you look at the sport competition in Australia, it’s absolutely flying. It’s not doing that in the UK at the moment. So we need to have a look and think, why is the game struggling over there?

“And there is some big.. bigger questions to answer. I think the NRL’s potential involvement could be pivotal in the sport over there. And we all hope it does happen, and we all hope it’s the best thing that’s happened for the sport in the UK.

“So yeah, there’s a lot of debates, a lot of questions. So I think the NRL could be the best thing that’s happened to the game over there for many years.”

Morley’s comments come as further delays over a deal between the two competitions continue to hamper any progress.

Morley warns of Super League player drain

Morley was a high-profile departure from Super League when he left to join Sydney Roosters, with his move to the NRL at the time seen as an outlier.

But now, more and more of England’s best players are heading to Australia with the promise of more money and a better standard of rugby league. And the Great Britain legend warned that in the years ahead, that player drain is simply going to continue – but said while it will hinder Super League, it will benefit the national team.

“It is harming the quality of the Super League competition but I think it’s improving the international side and the more players we can get exposed to in the ultra-competitive NRL, I think that’s better for the national game,” he said.

“When I come over, it was probably equal, the pay in England and the NRL, whereas now, with the salary cap being.. I don’t know, three or four times the UK, you get paid more money and it’s a really tough, enjoyable competition.

“So, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t come out to earn the money and play in, as I say, the national sport and mega competitive league. So, I think we are gonna lose probably a few more English players over the coming years.

“Gone are the days when the Super League could attract State of Origin players and current internationals, just because there’s been no salary cap increase for probably 20 years in the UK, and that’s an issue in itself.”