Sluggish ticket sales for the All Stars game on the Gold Coast are indicative of two things: a concept that has lost a little bit of shine in a market that has lost a lot of interest in rugby league.

The solution to the second part of this malady is a lot more complicated than for the first. And playing the match at CBUS Super Stadium was probably seen as part of that complicated solution - displaying a commitment to the region by staging a blue chip event there.

The All Stars concept has lost some of its shine. Credit:Getty Images

The simple fact is that the AFL's Suns look like being the first successful, sustainable professional sporting franchise the tourist strip has seen.

Walking out on the area would be an admission of failure on the part of the NRL in an era when it is aiming to take on the AFL, not retreat away from the advancing Sherrins.