After missing out on Joseph Suaalii, Wallabies coach Eddie Jones has publicly turned towards Cameron Murray as a cross-code switch, leaving some Rabbitohs' officials fuming.
Murray has limited experience in the 15-man code, representing his high school in the sport, even snubbing the New South Wales under-18s side as captain to play union for his school instead.
However, the 25-year-old South Sydney skipper is locked up in Redfern until 2025, meaning Jones has nearly three-full NRL seasons left before the lock hits the market.
It hasn't stopped Jones from name-dropping Murray in several interviews, including a one-on-one with Phil Gould, suggesting the Rabbitoh would make a stellar outside centre for the Wallabies.
The sudden attempted raid has frustrated South Sydney's CEO Blake Solly, who's taken aim at Eddie Jones and Rugby Australia over their constant need to entice NRL stars to jump ship.
“I'm not surprised Rugby Australia are interested in Cameron,” Solly told The Herald Sun.
“He is a skilful and courageous player, and his leadership is growing all the time. We hope he plays the rest of his career here - ideally captaining premiership winning teams and playing 300 games.
“However, soon Rugby Australia are going to have to move on from talking about NRL players they can't sign; and address the real challenges in their game.
“They're $25m in debt, have a dysfunctional talent pathway, and are completely detached from the grassroots of the sport.
“The talk about NRL players is just a distraction from the serious issues they have.”
Murray isn't the only NRL star caught in Jones' headlight, with the code reportedly contemplating offering Manly's Tolutau Koula a $900,000 per season deal.
