Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'Landys has never been one to hold his punches on rival codes.

Whether it's against the AFL, rugby union or any other, the NRL powerbroker calls it as he sees it, even if that means getting offside with officials, fans, clubs and players in other sports.

So it should come as little surprise to anyone that he feels the same way about the Saudi Arabian-backed Rugby 360 competition that is set to launch and make a significant raid on NRL playing stocks.

V'Landys' latest tirade against the 15-man code's newest venture came at the announcement of the Australian Kangaroos squad for the Ashes on Monday morning, where he labelled it a "competition out of a cornflake box".

"Any competition that comes out of a Corn Flakes box, I'm not really concerned about," V'landys said at the squad announcement in Sydney on Monday morning.

"That's what it is. It's a completely unprofessional (concept; they've got no business plan, and any player that goes is really risking their career.

"You only have to look at Salford this year in Super League, which was a similar situation where the players didn't get paid.

"It's a competition out of a Corn Flakes box, so I'm not going to be concerned about it."

The issue for V'Landys this time around is that this is not the AFL, or Super Rugby.

It's not even Japanese or French rugby, where money is plentiful, but requirements on players to move around the world exist.

This time, it's a competition where players, if they want, could still base themselves in Australia for much of the year and earn eye-watering sums - up to $2 million has been reported for the top players.

Even someone like Jye Gray, who is currently on $400,000 at the Rabbitohs, reportedly stands to double his salary for three years if he makes the jump.

That's not to say he isn't about to receive a contract upgrade in the NRL, but it may - and almost certainly - won't be to that level of money.

It's fairly clear that V'Landys and the NRL are considering major sanctions for players who attempt to break their contracts to chase the money on offer.

You can read the tea leaves of all his recent comments regarding the competition and its state in the sporting landscape, or simply listen to the reports suggesting some form of announcement designed to protect the NRL could be made this week.

But the question lingers.

What can the NRL actually do to protect itself?

If it's about money, no player is ever going to remain with the NRL while the oil money-backed rugby union competition is chasing signatures.

If it's about global prestige, the NRL lose in that department as well. R360 have already committed to ensuring all players are available to play for their countries.

A Rugby World Cup is just around the corner, and it is widely viewed as one of the biggest sporting events in the world, probably only behind the Olympics, the FIFA World Cup and the Cricket World Cup.

The Rugby League World Cup?

It's shrinking rather than growing, down to ten teams, and while playing for the Kangaroos is still an honour, just ask Mark Nawaqanitawase - the NRL's top try-scorer in 2025, his rookie season by the way - exactly what he thinks about the difference between the two sports on the global stage.

The NRL do need to set some ground rules around players breaking contracts, sure, but they also can't afford to simply beat their fists on the table and argue that players can't leave.

If that happens, players will leave, take the money, and run with it for the rest of their careers.

It's clear there won't be a working, cordial relationship between the two competitions, but the NRL are not in a position to play power struggle.

If they get into a proper fight with the Middle Eastern rugby competition, they are going to lose.

It's really that simple.