I look at it from this perspective
- tight five no interest from league can’t cross over
- no7 probably too small for league
- no6 & 8 a chance of playing league
- halfback can’t remember too many converts either way in this space
- rest of the backline would attract varying degrees of interest to league
So I reckon only half the positions in a rugby team would be of interest to league.
So on these players yes it will be hard to compete with league and RA doesn’t have the money. So spend the money wisely spread it around and create a bigger pool to draw from. Betting the housekeeping money on one or two teenage rockstars who are still to play a senior game against men where they will not physically and athletically dominate to the same extent as they have done at schoolboy . I would want to observe how they react and respond to that challenge prior to paying some of the money that is talked about these days for kids who have only ever played in under age rugby or league teams.
Problem is Rugby has it coming and going. Already a relatively smaller pool as far as sports go for Rugby in AU, so you are trying to lock down the young talent often on prospect, but then you keep loosing your middle and the late bloomers with more and more players moving offshore to play in England/Ireland/Wales/Japan/France and now even the US with the MLR. So if it isn't League locally, it's rugby abroad, or even worst kids just choosing to not play in the first place.
I love the Shute Shield, but even I'm not daft enough to see that as the pathway to the Wallabies. RA need to get their house in order around what the professional layer is going to be, how to shore up the finances and start to create some real competition for top stops.