Brisbane Broncos chief executive Bruno Cullen admitted he was shocked to hear of Karmichael Hunt's dramatic defection to AFL but remains confident the NRL will not be battling a new source of player drain.
Rugby league in Australia has recently been struggling to keep stars away from the increased incomes that come with the UK Super League and rugby union franchises domestically and abroad.
Sonny Bill Williams stunned the rugby league community last year when he walked out on the Bulldogs to join French rugby union side Toulon, while only recently Craig Wing announced he would quit the South Sydney Rabbitohs to play rugby in Japan.
Some pundits, such as Manly coach Des Hasler, have suggested in the wake of Hunt's shock move that the NRL may now have another competitor plundering its playing stocks.
While Cullen admitted Hunt was 'breaking very new ground' and 'the biggest left field hit he's ever taken', the Broncos boss was steadfast in his opinion AFL would not become a serious foe when it came to player poaching.
"Without disrespect to the AFL, no I don't consider it a serious threat, but it shows that it can happen and we might lose one or two players over one or two years," Cullen said.
Cullen wasn't about to understate how big a loss Hunt would be both to the code and club.
"I can't remember the last time a top line rugby league player went over to AFL in their prime," he said.
"I got a call from a reporter and I actually didn't believe it at first instance."
"We've lost a State of Origin player, an Australian representative, a premiership player and someone who has been involved with the Broncos since they were 15 years old."
"So it's a fair whack to our club and our code and a great coup for the AFL."
But NRL chief executive David Gallop said Hunt's decision was no cause for panic despite Hasler expressing his concern.
"Karmichael has been looking for a change for some time and we wish him luck in finding what he is looking for," said Gallop in a statement.
"This is an individual decision, the sky is not falling - only a week ago we had (Wallaby centre) Timana Tahu coming back to rugby league."
"Rugby league is in a very strong position in many areas, Queensland and the Gold Coast in particular, and I am sure that we will maintain and grow that strength regardless of this announcement."
"Karmichael (also) hasn't walked out on a contract. He hasn't deserted team-mates and we would welcome him back in the future," said Gallop, referring to Sonny Bill's infamous defection to Toulon.
Cullen, though, largely resisted the urge to take a swipe at the AFL and the Gold Coast club, but did deliver a few pointed comments on Hunt being a bonanza for media coverage in a state is saturated with rugby league news.
"It's too disrespectful to both their code and 'K' to say it's a great publicity exercise, but it is - although they're getting a very good athlete at the same time."
"They have missed out on some of the high profile players in their code they were chasing, the Nick Riewoldts and the like."
"They might have been getting to desperation stakes, to a degree - this might be a little bit cheeky - to have that high-profile individual come in and help sell their game."
Cullen admitted money was one of the major reasons his club couldn't keep Hunt, but was not going to use the departure as an excuse to reignite the push for lifting the NRL salary cap.
"I know that is an impossible dream, the money in that regard is not in our game."
"We can't compete against the dollars."
"I don't know what K's contract is, but I know the money in AFL for the players they want certainly exceeds what we can pay NRL players."
Cullen said the door would always be open for Hunt to rejoin the Broncos if his experiment with the AFL's 17th club fails.
"If he doesn't work out in AFL, he's certainly welcome back here and I would hope people wouldn’t treat him too harshly because of that."
"He's a young man who wants to do something different and he's got a fantastic opportunity to do just that."