Rugby Australia are reportedly set to entice Matt Burton and Joseph Suaalii into making a switch to the 15-man game.
Burton is believed to be at the top of a Rugby Australia hitlist, while Suaalii is also included, with the code looking to gain more media exposure ahead of an enormous period for the code in the country.
The Wallabies will host the British and Irish Lions in 2025, and have also won the right to host the code's ever popular World Cup in 2027, having last hosted the tournament in 2003.
Rugby union in the country has struggled for relevancy in recent times, with the disbanding of the former Super Rugby competition into what is now a Trans-Tasman competition against New Zealand outfits.
Despite that, the ongoing Test series against England has been well supported, with the tourists taking out the series at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday evening.
Fox Sports are now reporting that Rugby Australia are turning to the future, with Burton headlining a list of NRL stars they will make a play for.
“Burton is on the hit list created by Rugby Australia’s high performance committee for Andy Marinos (Rugby Australia CEO),” Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan told the publication.
Burton, like Suaalii, played rugby union during his school days, however, the 15-man code would need to spend enormous cash to lure either player out of the NRL.
Burton is tipped to become a $1 million per season player when he signs his next deal. Off-contract at the end of the 2023 season, Burton has a player option for 2024 but is not believed to be willing to take it up given how little Canterbury have signed him on.
The Origin debutant is still a chance of remaining at Belmore despite the fact he is unlikely to take up his player option, while Suaalii, who is off-contract at the end of this season although has two years worth of player options, could also command an enormous salary on his next deal after impressing for the Roosters and being included in the NSW Blues' wider squad for Games 1 and 2 of the recently completed State of Origin series.
Suaalii recently stated he "didn't want to leave" the Bondi-based club however, which is likely to make the job of securing Suaalii all the more difficult for Rugby Australia.
Other players on the list could well include Origin forwards Angus Crichton and Cameron Murray, who have both previously been linked with a move to rugby union.
Murray is less realistic given the length of his current contract, however, Crichton is off-contract at the end of the season and while the Rooster is believed to have a handshake deal with the club, the tri-colours are reportedly struggling for salary cap space, while Crichton's form has been up and down.
