EARLY this year, I approached the then-National Rugby League chief executive David Gallop after a function at Parliament House to see what the plan was to combat the AFL’s growth in this region.

The response was, to put it in simple terms, that the Raiders were doing plenty to develop the code and the team’s brand was strong in this market.

Frankly, I thought rugby league in Canberra deserved a little more; in fact, a great deal more from the Sydney-based administration.

The AFL and GWS have been putting enormous resources into the region over the past year and rugby league is being out-muscled in this market.

For example, GWS and the AFL have 11 full-time or part-time development officers in the Canberra region. Rugby League has one with a second about to start.

The AFL has been clever: there are no full-time physical education teachers in ACT Government primary schools and it is left to teachers to do their best.

In many instances, sporting organisations have been called upon to fill the void and the AFL has offered to teach children the basics of its code and to run competitions. They have become de facto PE teachers!

Its government relations unit has been highly effective. For example, the ACT Government provided a package worth an estimated $24-$26 million to the AFL for GWS to play three premiership games and a pre-season match at Manuka Oval each year for the next 10 years.

The AFL provided a solid business plan and it was able to satisfy the Government that it would be heavily involved in junior development in Canberra as well as assisting with the cost of facilities and promoting the ACT as a tourist destination.

Raiders’ CEO Don Furner has been speaking for some time about the AFL’s ability to source Government funding, but it has fallen on deaf ears.

Another example is the Wagga Wagga City Council promising $300,000 to GWS to play a pre-season game over the next three years while the Raiders have been playing pre-season matches there without taking any money out of the city.

It should be recognised also that Wagga, despite being a NSW city, has historically had a strong AFL following, as well as league.

I have spoken to government officials who talk in glowing terms about the business models presented by the AFL and the regular contact they have with the code’s decision makers.

In the same breath, they talk about the lack of contact with rugby league’s hierarchy.

There is an obvious need for Gallop’s replacement to meet as many government representatives in the regions as possible and follow up on commitments.

The National Rugby League has only itself to blame when it complains of the lack of public funding coming its way.