Going global: Sio Siua Taukeiaho of the Roosters is tackled by Tyrone Ranuku Phillips of the Bulldogs during the Auckland Nines earlier this year. Credit:Getty Images "What I'm really excited about is the media partners for the first time see rugby league as an international future. In the past as soon as you put up international rugby league you got bashed, ridiculed, but it's actually a growth area of the game for us. "We shouldn't rule it out in any capacity." The NRL could draw on the exposure that former Parramatta Eels fullback Jarryd Hayne has given to the game since his defection to the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. The Kangaroos last played an exhibition game against the USA Tomahawks in Philadelphia in 2004. Part of Richardson's whole-of-game plan involves a fixed international schedule. Richardson said it might not just be an NRL game that could be staged in the US.

"International matches, it's club matches that we can look at," he said. "That's something to work through with the club and media partners. "Having an international window at the end of the year gives us a real opportunity to do it." Following the success of the Auckland Nines, discussions have started to stage a World Nines tournament involving international sides. The competition would be run by the Rugby League International Federation. Richardson said the RLIF was "looking at" the prospect of a yearly World Nines tournament. "You have to test the waters before you start running with it," he said. "You could play it anywhere and there's lots of people who want to do it now putting their hand up.

"It's a real opportunity to get commercial income that they can utilise and grow into some of the other nations like Tonga, Samoa and more importantly in Europe, where the game is growing despite people knocking it. Without money it is impossible to do. "That's a real commercial opportunity for the RLIF." Super League had two World Nines tournaments in 1996-97, the first played in Fiji and the second in Townsville before ceasing when Super League joined with the Australian Rugby League to create the NRL. The World Sevens ran during 1988-97 and 2003-04 with a mix of developing nations and club sides while the NRL has had success with its Auckland Nines tournament. Meantime, Wayne Bennett has warned it will come as a "huge cost" to North Queensland if coach Paul Green is installed as Queensland State of Origin coach. Green is the hot favourite to succeed Meninga and become the first NRL coach to juggle club and Queensland Origin commitments since Michael Hagan in 2005.

"Nobody knows the demands of the job from a club point of view better than I do," said Bennett, who was also a club coach during six of his seven years as Maroons boss. "It can done, but it will be done at a huge cost. I don't think it will hurt Queensland's chances, there's so many wonderful players in that team and they've got a pretty good system going. "The challenge is going to be going back to your club." Bennett also said he felt for his Brisbane assistant, Kevin Walters, who had been groomed for the job but is reportedly set to be overlooked by the Queensland Rugby League. with AAP