NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo is adamant that the southern hemisphere wants a “partnership”, not a “takeover”, with Super League as talks between both parties continue.
Abdo travelled to the UK and had a meeting on Thursday which included RL Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones and RFL chairman Nigel Wood.
Also involved were RL Commercial director Peter Hutton, RFL director Dermot Power, consultant Robert Hicks and a representative from new advisors Deloitte.
Those in the meeting then had another discussion on Friday without Abdo, who travelled to London for further business, to consider how to take things forward.
Abdo struck a positive tone when interviewed by Sky Sports on Thursday night as he looks to strike some kind of agreement between the game’s two major poles.
While there has been much speculation that the NRL want a controlling stake in the competition, Abdo says there has been no such offer.
“This is about a partnership where we can collaborate on how we can grow the game, how we can grow revenues, and how those revenues can be pumped back into the game here,” he said.
“That’s pretty nuanced and that’s something we have to develop together.
“This is not a takeover. This is a partnership. It’s rugby league coming together.
“This is the NRL and Super League coming together to make the sport stronger and to make it thrive on a global stage, not just here in England, not just in France, Australia and New Zealand, but globally.
Evaluating the meeting, he added: “We did take a few steps forward because it’s a common understanding around what our objectives are.
“In terms of the actual mechanics of the deal and how that all fits together, there are a few things still to work through and obviously that’s what we’re going to focus on in the coming weeks.
“There are a few things that need to align on both sides and we’ll give it a red-hot go.”
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys has insisted Super League club owners have to relinquish their control over the sport’s governance.
And Abdo reiterated that this was necessary to have “the ability to make the decisions that are important for the growth of the game long-term”.
However, RL Commercial head Jones suggested this remained an area of contention.
“They would like to have a heavy influence on the appointment of the independent commission and who sits on it,” he told Sky.
“What they haven’t understood in totality is the make up of the governance in our country.
“We have the RFL, Super League and RL Commercial, so it can be complex at times.
“With hard work and better detail, we are confident we can overcome some of those challenges and get to the right result.
“We’re very open-minded to it, it was a very positive afternoon but no offer has been received to this point.”
Jones also reiterated that the NRL is not the sole party considering an investment in Super League, adding: “We have other interest, which is something we have to exhaust.”