Abi Ekoku: St Helens CEO says club’s day-to-day unaffected by potential NRL investment

Ekoku admitted that the pursuit of players is now harder than ever, with opportunities not just in the local area with other Super League clubs, but in other sports as well.

“Young talent is more valuable than it’s ever been. It’s more expensive than it’s ever been as well. There’s more competition locally,” he added.

“Wigan and Warrington are doing some great things with their academy so we need to try and find a way of retaining our DNA but also growing on it as well.

“Those athletes are being eyed up by multiple sports. So the competition for talent is massively important and where rugby league sits within that pyramid, that’s a challenge not just for us as a club but for the whole game because kids often want to do what they see.”

As for whether the potential talent pool might also be tempted by a move to Australia, Ekoku was more relaxed about that prospect.

He continued: “The NRL is a bit of an aside, because they operate in a different hemisphere. But yes, it’s an attractive competition that, from a lifestyle point of view, young players will always be attracted to go to.

“But when you’re a top club, you don’t really worry about that. There will always be a rumour about a player going here or there. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means that we’re doing something right, If you’ve got quality personnel on field, off field, you expect them to be desired.”