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It used to be the other way round. In the 1990s, a host of rugby union players, including Matthew Ridge, John Gallagher, Frano Botica, John Schuster, John Kirwan and Marc Ellis, switched to rugby league largely because of the wads of cash being waved their way.
Now, however, rugby union is seen as one of the biggest threats to the NRL in the wake of Mark Gasnier's exploitation of a clause in his contract to sign for Stade Francais for A$1 million ($1.27 million) a year.
He follows the likes of Timana Tahu, Ryan Cross, Clinton Schifcofske, Craig Gower, David Vaealiki and Luke Rooney who have joined the 15-man code for significantly more money than they could make in league.
Others, like former Warriors back-rower Sione Faumuina, have been tipped to follow, while in England, former Kiwis Lesley Vainikolo and Shontayne Hape are both playing in England's Guinness Premiership after years in the UK Super League.
Rooney, who is not a current Origin or international player, is reported to have signed for Toulon for A$1.3 million for two years, while Gower has signed a deal worth A$2.4 million over three years. Top NRL players earn about A$400,000 a season.
Gasnier's switch has caused much gnashing of teeth across the Tasman and many have suggested it is only the beginning, as cashed-up European rugby clubs, and perhaps even Japanese rugby, target some of the NRL's best players.
It's a scenario New Zealand rugby has faced for some time. Sonny Bill Williams has long been talked of as a target - although usually only at contract negotiation time - while rugby clubs must salivate over the likes of Greg Inglis, Israel Folau, Krisnan Inu and Jarryd Hayne.
The reality is, however, the NRL is powerless to stop other players following Gasnier to rugby union.
The crux of the problem is the A$4.1 million salary cap that rules the NRL. It is holding back the amount players can earn but, conversely, it is also holding the game together.
"There is a lot of money in European rugby and from time to time players are going to take that option but it's too easy to say the sky is falling," NRL chief executive David Gallop said. "We have to just keep our eye on what makes our competition successful, which is a strict salary cap providing a close competition and making sure our clubs are financially viable.
"There's a misconception the cap is holding back clubs from spending. The cap is at a level most clubs can afford. It's not a case of let's take away the salary cap and all of a sudden there will be millions more dollars."
Only last month, many Sydney clubs were crying poor and the Dragons, with whom Gasnier has been the past eight years, even said they might not spend their entire salary cap because of financial pressures.
Others are struggling because of a higher tax imposed by the NSW Government on poker machine money and the increasingly competitive sporting landscape.
To match what rugby is offering, Warriors chief executive Wayne Scurrah said league's salary cap would need to be doubled and "that's just not going to happen".
"If you look at the size of the cap, it's not like people are paid poorly," he said referring to the fact the average NRL salary for a player in a club's top 25 is A$164,000. "Sometimes a player will move on but [rugby] won't take the vast majority."
Nothing is going to change, at least until the present TV deal worth around A$500 million over six years is renegotiated in 2012.
There has been talk of each club being allowed a marquee player, much like football's A-League, where a player can earn up to A$1 million outside the salary cap. Another suggestion has been allowing top players a sabbatical to play European rugby in the league off-season.
Gallop ruled out the marquee option: "That's just going to favour the richer clubs. They are going to buy the marquee player and free up room within the cap to buy more players. You might as well not have your salary cap if you are going to start having those sorts of exceptions.
"There just needs to be a realisation that there isn't going to be a quick fix and an infinite amount of money."
What league bosses are banking on is the fact the NRL is still the world's best league competition and players want to test themselves in it.
The NRL has always lost players to the richer UK Super League and that will not change. While it might appear this will only increase, with two more sides being admitted to the competition in 2009, this is countered by the fact restrictions on non-Europeans are tightening.
The threat of rugby union and the amount players are paid has caused disagreement among players. Australian skipper Darren Lockyer last week urged the NRL not to increase the salary cap if the game couldn't afford it.
"We can't bend the rules just for a dozen or so players at the risk of potentially crippling the great product we have," he said.
Conversely, Storm and Queensland captain Cameron Smith said state and international players were so unhappy with the disparity in pay with rugby and the game's inability to keep them in the NRL, many were organising an action group and that a strike could eventuate.
"I think it's sad, really, losing one our our best players, our biggest stars," Smith told The Daily Telegraph.
"The NRL really have to have a look at the salary cap and we have to make some changes. It's going to continue... It's wrong."
Smith is right - it is going to continue because money rules the sporting world. But rugby league and the NRL will survive.
Figures released last week showed rugby league games featured in 64 of the top 100 most popular programmes on Australian pay TV this year. Rugby union accounted for seven.
The appetite for rugby league still exists in Australia and talented youngsters will continue to want to be a part of it. The major question is how much they will be paid to do it.
