When has the RFL spent any sort of significant amount of money doing this?

League is too strong and big a sport to merge with Union.

We in our Northern enclave being fed a constant diet of negative propaganda from the Southern Establishment media may fall for the trick of Union being this huge global sport. However the reality is that apart from New Zealand a country with a population smaller than that of West Yorkshire, no other country has union as its main sport. Union has only a niche sporting presence in the likes of Australia, South Africa, France, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.

League on the other hand is arguably the most popular sport in Australia, certainly it is when TV is brought into things. Australia is one of the worlds richest and largest economies.
Papua New Guinea a country with twice the population of New Zealand also has RL as its official national sport. Its only failing its its extreme poverty, which will hopefully be alleviated now they have found vast oil reserves in the country.
The New Zealand warriors RL team are helping to boost the profile for League in New Zealand. Thousands travelled to Aus to see their grand final teams, while 20,000 fans descended on Mount Smart stadium in NZ to watch the three finals on the big screen.

Is the subtext to this a club version of Sam Tomkins' thinking - "Wigan fan thinks their club is being held back by the sport so wants to go to perceived brighter lights and bigger paydays of RU"?

A couple of setbacks on the field, perceived wrongs off it, a conviction that they have been hard done to = time to give away the sport built up over 116 years? Bewildering but then it is a Wigan fan.

The OP is delusional that RU wouldn't destroy everything that is good about Rugby League the moment it took control.