Quote: Saddened! "It's going to happen. Maybe not this year, but the NRL are now aware of Super League as a potential hotspot for talent and will be picking some of the cherries.
Does Australia have any form of work permit situation the other way? I'd imagine it would be impossible for a Super League side to sign a 17 year old pre-professional Australian as he wouldn't have played NRL or internationally.'"
Not sure, but I think it would go down as some form of work experience fiddle or something. One of the Burgess', i think it was George, had hardly played for Bradford if he'd played at all when he got signed by Souths, so I don't think they're that stringent.
Most of the kids that go over are tied to deals for at least 12 months, so they wouldn't be able to approach kids without Saints permission.
Of the party that go out, there's no more than half a dozen that go on to make it anyway. It's more than a rugby trip, its about getting kids to make them more rounded individuals, becoming more independent and seeing things in a different light. It's brilliant, and for sure the pros outway the cons massively.
