League happy to meet rugby's threat

Rugby league officials and player managers have rejected warnings their 100 year-old game is at risk of being swamped by rugby union World Cup euphoria.

Australian Rugby Union supremo John O'Neill -- armed with a $45 million World Cup war chest -- has put rugby league on notice it's about to be replaced as football's number one code in NSW and Queensland.

He flagged a $15 million injection from its World Cup windfall to promote its ranking to number one in both states and to move to number two position in AFL-dominated states.

But his grand plans were shot down by league with prominent player manager Jim Bannaghan suggesting O'Neill was still "drunk" on World Cup emotion.

"It's a non-sensical statement," said Bannaghan, one-time manager of rugby defectors Wendell Sailor and Mat Rogers.

"In four years two rugby league benefactors (media magnates Rupert Murdoch and Kerry Packer) ploughed about $700 million into the game and all they could do was keep it alive," said Bannaghan.

"Fifteen million in sport in Australia is a drop in the ocean.

"League's income stream for one year alone matches what they get for one World Cup they get every 17 years.

"John O'Neill might be correct that they'll be the second code in some states.

"But he's messed them up, it won't be Victoria and South Australia, it'll be Queensland and NSW."

A staunch league man, Bannaghan said he attended Saturday night's World Cup final.

"I also went to the gymnastics at the Olympics but I've never been back since and that'll be the experience of a lot of Australians.

"You go to any rugby (club) game and you'll see 300 people.

"Let's just do our sums. Everyone went because it was an event, not because it's a better game."

Bannaghan was backed by another leading manager Wayne Beavis who said league had the player depth to sustain any future rugby raids.