In July the NRL struck a new seven-year broadcast deal worth around £400 million annually to its clubs.
“The game is very rich now in the NRL, so I can’t see why that wouldn’t transfer into Super League as well”, said Walters.
“The new broadcast deal smashed all sorts of records, so it’s nothing but a positive if the NRL can get involved in Super League. Both competitions will benefit highly.”
Walters was speaking during a short trip to St Helens, the club he will join after leading hosts and holders Australia into the World Cup next month. Saints chairman Eamonn McManus has said that the NRL and Super League should be working together to help grow the game as a global sport – instead of one organisation taking over from the other, insisting it is “not a matter of picking at a carcass, taking over a weak sport.”
The RFL has said it is “genuinely interested in exploring a mutually beneficial and financially fair partnership with the NRL, which we firmly believe would unlock the significant added value benefit of creating a single global entity for the sport.”
A former head coach at NRL side Brisbane Broncos, Walters guided the Kangaroos to a 3-0 win over England in last year’s Ashes tour.
When asked how much of a gap there was between the two leagues, he said: “Physically there’s no gap. It’s just possibly a little bit of the speed of the game, but the talent is certainly here. It’s a very strong competition and very well respected in Australia. Ask some of our players how tough those games were…it was a tough series.”
Eleven NRL stars have been named in England’s preliminary World Cup squad, and Walters believes he can help stem the drain of talent from the Super League to Australia.
“Certainly that will be part of my mantra, to keep our best players here. One of the attractions of the NRL is you know you’re playing against some of the best players in the world. The second one is the financial rewards. I feel like Super League can can lift its numbers financially for player reward…and if [it is] more rewarding here, I think more more players will stay.
“I’ve watched a lot of World Cups in the last 30 years, and this one will be the most competitive of all…I feel the English side will be as strong as it’s ever been.”
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