[url=http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/signature-move-tagive-lands-us-switch-20130606-2ntc1.html?skin=text-onlyFriday's SMH:[/url

[iNRL clubs eye Lions duo

Israel Folau isn't the only rugby union star who may be playing in the NRL next season, with Sin Bin told several clubs are interested in British Lions pair Owen Farrell and George North.

Farrell is the son of former Great Britain and Wigan captain Andy Farrell, and the 21-year-old grew up playing league until his father switched codes in 2005 and the family moved to Hertfordshire, in England's south. But it is North who has really grabbed the attention of NRL clubs, with the Welsh winger having been compared to Folau because of his size and footwork.

''Look him up on YouTube, he is a hulk,'' one NRL chief executive said of the 21-year-old, who weighs 109 kilograms and is 194 centimetres tall."[/i

[url=http://www.dailystar.co.uk/rugby/view/319431/Salfrord-eye-up-Hull-KR-s-Michael-Dobson/Today's Daily Star:[/url

[iSeveral leading NRL clubs are interested in tempting British Lions pair Owen Farrell and George North to switch codes.
[/i

I'm guessing George North's 3 year deal with Northampton starting from next season won't be cheap to buy out. I doubt they'll want to sell given the effort they made in signing him in the first place.

North is the prototype modern League centre - strong, good footwork, defends well, decent hands.

Not sure where a League side would play Farrell. Doesn't have the ball skills or running threat to play in the halves, not a strong enough carrier to play 13.

Sounds like an agent trying to generate interest in his players.
Farrell's in the right game for him. He can kick penalites & has nice hair. That's about it as far as I can see. Enough to make you world class in RU, he'd barely make a decent amateur in League.
North might be worth a look, certainly got the physical attributes to go well.

Farrell is just about the RU equivalent of Jamie Foster. He would get found out big time in the NRL.

Farrell has never struck me as a League player really, but he's nowhere near as bad as you are saying IMO.

North would go well definitely.

Money talks

Quote

If I could double my money I would abandon my Union career for a top flight League club

The NRL wont sign British players from Union as it will help the English Rugny League team Imo. They would never sign anyone like Manu Tuiliaigi because England will benefit.

I doubt they would sign British Union players but not for the reasons that it would help the English Rugby League team

Properly because no British union player would have the skills to play in the NRL.

Tommy Bowe would be a great winger and Quade cooper looks like a RL player playing Union.

Cooper was rumoured to be switching to League a while ago.

I'm pretty sure Cooper played Rugby League at Springwood State High School. I think he switched to union when he went to a grammar school which only played union.
A wasted talent in union in my opinion.

A wasted talent? He won super rugby 2 years ago, named aussie player of the super rugby season the year before. has 38 caps for the national team having just turned 25. His team finished top of the Aussie standing last season, 3rd overall, they are 4th overall this season. in 2011 they were the top over all team.

Quade Cooper is not a wasted talent, he is a leading star in Rugby Union. He has fallen out with the Australia coach, meaning he hasnt been selected, nothing to do with his ability.

He would also be a top Rugby League player if he were to switch, but suggesting anything other than him being a top Union player is incorrect.

Jamie Roberts is a RU player I'd like to see in Rugby League. Big, fast and very skilful.

Would they become eligible for Australia/SOO after a few years?

So England RL Team wont benefit from the SL players currently in the NRL ? Graham, Burgess (x4) or those that have come back? Morley & Ellis or Widdop who went over there as a teenager?

The NRL obviously won't want to help the NZ Team either by signing any Kiwi's or even having having a NZ side in the NRL?

The point being a English Rugby Union player like Manu will be on double the salary of any Englishman playing in Super League. The NRL would much rather target strong Australian players like Cooper and Beale.

You think im wrong ? I'll put any money on that no English Union players (or Lions) sign with an NRL team, You match my money. If they do ill pay to charity and you do vice versa.

2014 French RU salary cap: €10m (£8.6m)

2014 NRL salary cap: Aus$6.3m (£3.8m)

Quote ="Zeus The Saint"The NRL wont sign British players from Union as it will help the English Rugny League team Imo. They would never sign anyone like Manu Tuiliaigi because England will benefit.'" Quite the opposite. Recent articles in Australia carry quotes from clubs stating that top players that are not eligible for origin are more valuable as they don't return from the origin games physically and mentally exhausted. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=552043&tsmp=1370826198

Quote ="Zeus The Saint"The NRL wont sign British players from Union as it will help the English Rugny League team Imo. They would never sign anyone like Manu Tuiliaigi because England will benefit.'" Quite the opposite. Recent articles in Australia carry quotes from clubs stating that top players that are not eligible for origin are more valuable as they don't return from the origin games physically and mentally exhausted. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=552043&tsmp=1370826198

Bit of a fallacious bet. There's no way to prove why they haven't signed.

I'd suggest it has more to do with the player himself not wanting to go to a different sport in a different country on a lower wage than he can command currently than the NRL clubs not wanting them.

Players that aren't involved in the mid-season SOO games are highly values these days.

There are some superb, speedy and athletic outside backs in British RU these days that would thrive in our code. The likes of North, Cuthbert, Bowe etc would have a field day going forward with the extra space afforded in RL coupled with the pathetic state of the majority of the defences these days (over here anyway).

When Cooper fell out with the Aussie coach I thought his agent touted him around the NRL and there were no takers. Maybe his wage demands were to high or perhaps the clubs simply don't rate him.

From what I remember he was in talks with the Eels. Not sure whether money is/was an issue but I can imagine it would be a lot to pay for someone so unproven in the game, at open age at least. He's a bit of a maverick and the Reds don't play the most orthodox style or RU ie they throw the ball about a lot more in their own end than most. His style does seem suited to RL and would love to see him play in the NRL at some point.