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How to tune into Sport NationWhy Rugby League needs to be careful of R360
SEN • October 12th, 2025 2:21 pm
Mat Rogers believes the NRL needs to be careful about the potential threat of R360 for its competition.
The breakaway Rugby Union competition, which has the backing of private investment funds from Saudi Arabia, the United States and the United Kingdom, is planning to shake up the global landscape of the sport.
With it expected to launch next year with six teams set to compete, the competition has reportedly been targeting NRL players to join the breakaway competition.
According to these reports, players such as Ryan Papenhuyzen, Zac Lomax, Payne Haas and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, just to name a few, have been “directly targeted”.
This has led Rogers to think that the NRL needs to be proactive in preventing players from leaving, as there is not the same deterrent for NRL players compared to those playing for their nation in Rugby Union to sign with R360.
“Rugby League need to be careful and this where I think it is so important to go out as a league, contract your top 30 players across the board," Rogers said on SEN 1170 and SENQ’s Sportsday.
“Now that the Rugby Union have come out and said that we're not going to allow anybody who goes to R360 to play international Rugby Union.
“(But) if Reece Walsh is getting paid four million bucks per year, if Payne Haas is getting paid four million bucks a year, and they are not paying any tax on it, then I don’t think they care if they play for the Wallabies.
“Because it’s not their go, they’re Rugby League men.
“I think Rugby League need to do something, they can’t just sit on their hands and expect this to go away.
“You don’t know how much money that have got. Look at what they did to the PGA Golf.
"This could be a mass exodus of superstars."
But Kirean Foran thinks that the NRL, led by Peter V’Landys, will come out sooner rather than later and lay down the consequences for anyone who decides to leave for R360.
“I think (Peter) V’Landys is all over it,” Foran explained.
“He knows that at some point, he’s going to have to come down and make some hard statements about the ramifications if you do go.
“But I sense that it is a bit of hype, but I could be way off the mark as well.”
