Luke Keary looking at a rugby? return on the basis of his Australian schoolboys past has come alongside the emergence of the Super 20s program as a rival to league's National Youth Competition.
The NYC is facing an uncertain future and union believe they're now in the fight for the best teenage talent, who until recently mostly went to league.
Many of Australia's best schoolboy union stars in recent years have signed with league clubs while still at school. New Zealand too.
For many, they're of a generation that have grown up playing both league and union and choose the code that will give them the best shot a career.
We flicked through Big League and came up with a rugby league side who were once schoolboy rugby stars.
THE ALL-STAR TEAM
Roger Tuivasa-Sheck (Warriors) - NZ schools 2011
Semi Radradra - Fiji u/20s 2011
Konrad Hurrell (Warriors) - NZ schools 2010
Kirisome Auva'a (Rabbitohs) - Aus Schools 2009
Curtis Rona (Bulldogs) - WA Schools 2009
Luke Keary (Rabbitohs) - Aus Schools 2010
Cooper Cronk (Storm) - Aus Schools 2000
Tepai Moeroa (Eels) - Aus Schools 2012-13
Tyson Frizzell (Dragons) - Aus Schools 2009
Jared Waerea-Hargeaves (Roosters) - Aus u/19s 2007
Joey Lussick (Roosters) - Aus Schools 2013
Viliame Kikau (Panthers) - Fiji schools 2013
Taane Milne (Dragons) - Aus Schools ?2013
RES:
Kayln Ponga (Cowboys) - Qld Schools 2014
Jason Seage (Roosters) - NSW Schools 2010
Tom Wright (Manly) - NSW Schools 2015
Angus Crichton (Rabbitohs) - Aus Schools 2013-14
Nelson Asofa-Solomona (Storm) - Wellington College NZ 2013