Alex Elisala. Credit:Getty Images

Now, NRL rules do not allow under-20 teams to train until 5pm – in order to attend tertiary and vocational courses – while the NRL team has already left the stadium. One international, asked how much contact he had with his club's under-20 Holden Cup team, said, "Only when our paths cross." In other words, exiting or entering the gym.

"The under-20s dress the same as us, play at the same grounds on the same day, are on TV but we don't have much to do with each other," he said.

The club disconnect is even greater for those who don't have their own state cup team, the equivalent of the old NSWRL reserve grade. For example, players in the Storm's NRL squad who are not selected in the top team, or returning from injury, are sent to either Cronulla's NSW Cup team, or Brisbane Easts Queensland Cup team – the players are split between two clubs in two states who never play on the same ground as the Storm.

To be fair, some clubs, such as Newcastle, with its own team in the NSW Cup, and Penrith, with its close affiliation with Windsor, do have training sessions where all three teams, including the under-20s side, are together. But NRL officials do concede that the opportunity for a NRL player to mentor a young player has diminished during the past 15 to 20 years, not just since the introduction four years ago of the National Youth Competition. At the same time, the NRL's investment in welfare and mental health programs has never been greater.