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RUGBY league yesterday fired its opening salvo for 2010 against the AFL by unveiling the NRL All Stars at Blacktown just a few kilometres from the Greater Western Sydney base.

After AFL legend Kevin Sheedy attended his first GWS training session last week in league heartland, the NRL wasted no time reclaiming its turf by unleashing homegrown stars Jarryd Hayne and Israel Folau among more than 300 junior players.

A tough-talking David Gallop delivered the AFL a backhander when he said: "In western Sydney grandfathers, fathers and sons all go to the game together, and that kind of generational support is not something that can be bought overnight."

NRL All Stars assistant coach Brad Fittler went one further, labelling AFL "capitalist animals" who would stop at nothing to crush league in the west.

If the AFL has a $200 million warchest to win the hearts of western Sydney and set up a second team, Gallop, Fittler and Dally M winner Jarryd Hayne were just some of the NRL heavyweights determined to make the transition anything but smooth.



Even though yesterday was meant to be about the weekend's All Stars clash with the Indigenous All Stars, the threat of AFL was once again the hot topic.

"I don't know if this is a deliberate ploy [to hit back at the AFL], but we're obviously conscious this is an area we want to continue to have a strong presence, it's something that's been around 100 years, so it made sense to be out here where our game can legitimately say we're at home," Gallop said.

"We're the market leader and whenever you're the market leader you need to be conscious of what you need to do to stay there, and I'm confident rugby league will be the market leader for years to come."

Fittler said league and AFL could co-exist, but the latter would be foolish to underestimate its rival.

"League has been going a long time out here, so they're going to have to work hard and not think they'll get in here by just providing money you won't fool western suburbs people, they love their footy and sport," Fittler said. "This is a massive growth area, there are big plans around Eastern Creek and this area will grow by hundreds of thousands.

"It's extremely important our profile is up there. I know the AFL is putting in a side out here and they're not stupid, they're putting a team out here for growth reasons.

"I'm pretty sure the two codes can work together, but this is rugby league central, we won't just give up and walk away."

Hayne, who was wooed by the AFL before recently inking a new lucrative four-year deal with Parramatta, urged league not to become complacent.

"I'm not sure what we can do, but we have to come up with something," said Hayne, when asked about stopping the AFL. We can't let them come in and feel comfortable and take rugby league people away from the game. It's such a great game."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/nrl-all-stars-unveiled-at-blacktown-near-afls-greater-western-sydney-base/story-e6frfgbo-1225828026483