State of Origin coaches Billy Slater and Laurie Daley have backed the NRL’s pursuit of a stake in the Super League, arguing a strong northern hemisphere game is key to the future of rugby league.The NRL’s chief executive, Andrew Abdo, was in England last week exploring the investment opportunity that would involve governance reform in the UK and a potential shift back to a winter season to allow broadcasters to screen elite rugby league year-round.Slater, who coached the Maroons to an Origin series win in 2025, said the sport needed to improve its pathways across the globe to ensure standards remain high.“There’s definitely something over there in the English Super League, and I think [the NRL] can make that work,” he said.While Abdo has said opportunities with the Super League could help grow the value of the NRL’s next broadcast deal, Slater believed the main benefit was to help improve playing standards in Europe and in the NRL, which is expected to grow to 20 teams in coming years.

“To bring in three teams in a handful of years, we’re certainly going to have to dive into some development pathways and make sure that we’ve got the talent and the developed talent to push into these clubs,” Slater said.NSW’s coach, Daley, said the NRL’s potential involvement in the Super League was “a great opportunity to help their game over there because we do need a strong international game”.“As much as we’re strong here in Australia, you want to make sure that other nations are strong as well,” he said.There are discussions around the scale of the investment required by the NRL – reportedly one-third or more of the Super League – and the extent to which European clubs would have to cede power to Australian administrators.Daley acknowledged there were issues around the extent to which the NRL would control the Super League competition, but he remained confident they could be resolved.

“If you could help English rugby league, and have control, and be able to develop it like the way they have done with our competition, it would be a great thing for the game.”Abdo said last week there was some urgency to negotiations given the NRL is already speaking with broadcasters about the next deal due to start in 2028.The Australian Rugby League Commission chair, Peter V’landys, is targeting a $4bn deal, with international markets such as Papua New Guinea and the UK representing some of the few opportunities for significant growth amid an advertising slowdown on free-to-air television.The existing broadcast deal with Nine and Foxtel in Australia is worth around $400m a year.It helped the NRL record a surplus of $64.

8m in 2025.Super League owners are now losing around $38m (£20m) a year, and the NRL’s involvement would help cover each team’s wages bill.Launching this year’s State of Origin series on Monday in Melbourne, where game two will take place at the MCG on 17 June, Slater – who also works for Channel Nine – said the Australian game was in a healthy state.“The game is in an extremely healthy position, it’s extremely attractive to watch, the players are doing a wonderful job on the field, the administrators have done a wonderful job off the field to create an entertainment product that we all love,” he said.