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Israel Folau during the Wallabies training session. Source: Philip Hillyard / News Limited
DEPARTING Bulldogs boss Todd Greenberg sat next to Wallaby winger Israel Folau at the State of Origin on Wednesday night.
It got tongues wagging about the superstar's next career move and the possibility of him returning to the NRL in 2014.
They watched from seats outside the chairman's suite at ANZ Stadium, where Folau is employed as an ambassador to mix with sponsors and guests.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the NRL will now consider introducing marquee player signings, outside of the salary cap, to help keep superstars like the former GWS player in the game.
The Bulldogs have a leagues club that makes a $30 million annual profit yet can't sign the Wallaby winger because of the salary-cap restrictions.
A marquee player exempt from the cap would allow them to pay Folau $1 million-plus a year and secure his signature tomorrow.
The NRL's chief operating officer Jim Doyle says the marquee player allowance has to be considered amongst other ideas.
"We will consider everything," Doyle said. "The salary cap has to be modernised. We all agree on that. It is designed to keep a level playing field and stop clubs from going broke.
"But we have to make sure something is in place to ensure we keep our best players."
Greenberg would not go into detail about his night at the football and conversations with Folau.
But he likes the system so successfully used in football and other major sports.
"It's got merit and we should consider it," he said.
The marquee player allowance has made the A-League the massive success it is today, allowing Sydney FC to sign Alessandro Del Piero, Newcastle Emile Heskey and the Wanderers Shinji Ono.
It has lifted crowd numbers, sponsorship, revenue and TV ratings.
The NRL will have to move quickly if they want Folau back in 2014.
He is under contract to rugby union until December and will play in the Bledisloe Cup matches before making a decision.
He has yet to commit to the Waratahs or ARU for a contract extension.
Those closest to Folau say he has enjoyed the rugby union stint but he prefers rugby league.
The marquee player signings would be a huge boost for all clubs, not just the Bulldogs.
The Roosters, who have enjoyed a 63 per cent home crowd increase since signing Sonny Bill Williams from the All Blacks, could secure him on a long-term deal.
The Wests Tigers could have kept Benji Marshall for the rest of his playing career and in a job after football and still been able to sign the club's most promising youngsters.
Karmichael Hunt would have been kept in rugby league, too, instead of switching to AFL.
Former NRL boss David Gallop was against the marquee player signings because it favoured the richer clubs and some couldn't afford it.
But as one prominent official said: "Why should the weaker clubs hold back the rest of the game?"
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