Manchester United stars were guests of honour at State of Origin 3 today. Their presence was announced to the record crowd by the ANZ announcer and seen by millions on TV around the world. Most prominent of the players present was Welshman Ryan Giggs, seated on the sideline next to his friend Andrew Johns.

The Ryan Giggs TV interview at half time was most interesting, when he made a comparison of State of Origin to the FA Cup Final and Super Bowl.

Will the NRL, and especially the RFL in this World Cup year, exploit the Manchester United patronage and support for our game?

[url=http://www.therfl.co.uk/more/contact_usGive them a call and ask them[/url

Ryan Giggs is a lifelong RL fan. the RFL haven't yet so don't hold your breath!

Giggs, Ferdinand and Rooney are the obvious ones for the RFL to get involved in any marketing campaigns as well as Joey Barton. I remember a sky sports promo which involved various celebrities such as Ricky Hatton and Phil Taylor bigging up the game.

Why would Sky Sports allow their products which they've marketed like Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Ricky Hatton, Phil Taylor, etc, to be exploited in RL World Cup year when they have no interest in the RL World Cup and showed no interest in the broadcasting rights?

May I suggest that whilst Giggs Rio and Wazza have been known to enjoy RL. Giggsy's dad having played for Salford, the reason why they were at the SOO was to promote football not to enjoy a game of RL. The biggest stage in Sydney, at a time when they are trying to promote the game.

They are unlikely to come back to Blighty to promote the game, unless we pay big bucks and by big bucks that will be many many £££££ more than Stobart paid last season.

Didn't United have a photoshoot with the SL trophy over the off-season? I seem to remember it being on the front page of both trade papers.

You are wrong about why they were at the game.

They were invited by the ANZ Stadium Board of Directors to attend as guests of honour in the ANZ Stadium corporate box, in order to promote the game of rugby league in Australia. The invitation process was initiated last December. The key movers on this issue among the ANZ board members are both seriious rugby league fans. One goes by the name of Steve Mortimer.

The five avid rugby league fans in the Manchester United team were specifically invited, but it appears that the invitation went out to the entire team. (Rooney did not attend because he had flown back to Britain, alegedly because of a hamstring injury, though some suspect other reasons).

They were not needed to promote either SoO or their own game on this coming Saturday because both events were long ago sold out.

Got it... let's get ManU to sponsor the Super League. Shouldn't cost anymore than 1 weeks worth of Wayne Rooney's current wage

Why does RL in Australia need promoting by British footballers. I will bow down to your superior knowledge on this matter once I have a sensible answer to my question.

Im not sure I want the game linked to a guy who spent 10 years sleeping with his brothers wife, a granny prostitute fancier and a banned drug cheat to be honest.

Because of course Rugby League players are all whiter than white...

Not really the point I was making. Of course they're not, but we have enough of our own disciplne issues, without kicking up these dreggs to promote us, we may as well have got John Terry too. In fact, he could have had a queensland kit on and been dancing round the pitch faster than you can say 'my dads a drug dealer'.

You forgot racist too !!!!

Don;t let the facts get in the way of a good moan, Gav.

Ah it was the WC trophy. Great work Peckerwood!

I'm sure you could do something crative with the like of these, but what will probably happen is just that Hemmings will mention it a couple of time during a programme and that will be it.

You could invite these "pro-RL" footballers down to a training session and let them run through their paces. Let them hit a couple of bags a joke about how they don't move - get them in the gym and let them see how much more our guys lift. Put them in a foot race with our quick lads.

Remember the Adiddas adverts with Johnny Wilkinson and David Beckham? One advert was Wilkinson showing Becks how to kick a conversion and the other was Beckham teaching him his free kick technique.

Warrington were training at Carrington earlier this week too.

Because rugby league in Australia is in a close neck and neck contest with Australian Rules to be the most popular winter sport and "football" code in Australia. It is also in a struggle with rugby union, which is the third winter sport in terms of attendances, and which claims to be the more international code of rugby (which it is).

This presence of the much esteemed Manchester United soccer players (who will play an Australian A League Selection to a sold out crowd of 83,000 at ANZ Stadium on Saturday) at the marquee rugby league event in Australia is a way of the NRL scoring prestige points against the rival codes in Australia.

The secondary idea was also to provide visual material to promote the World Cup. But that is up to the RFL to exploit. Hence my question in the OP.

the media fuelling the media led code war

For the record Ryans dad played for Swinton & then later at Trafford Borough.

I am supprised that this was never brought up in his interview on the touch line unless he dosn't want it to be.