The Canberra Raiders will turn to the NFL for secrets to success as they embark on fact-finding mission to the United States at the end of the month.
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Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, chief executive Don Furner, football manager John Bonasera and general manager Jason Mathie will visit three NFL teams - including Jarryd Hayne's San Francisco 49ers - two universities and a Major League Soccer club to assess facilities, stadium operations and membership programs.
The study tour will give the Raiders insights to million-dollar training facilities and ideas they will pass on to ACT government officials for a potential new rectangular stadium in Canberra.
They will visit Hayne at the 49ers as well as the Seattle Seahawks and the Oakland Raiders to expand their knowledge base for launching a bid to rise up the NRL ladder next year.
It could give Stuart a chance to catch up with Hayne, whose NFL career hangs in the balance after he was cut to the 49ers practice squad.
Stuart was Hayne's coach at the Parramatta Eels, NSW and Australia.
Furner will also meet with NRL officials next week and ask for details of Sam Burgess' return to South Sydney to ensure the deal is above board.
Burgess arrived back in Australia on Wednesday after a failed stint in England rugby, which led to him quitting his contract with Bath and South Sydney paying a transfer fee to get him back.
It was reported that the Rabbitohs paid $1million to Bath to get Burgess out of his contract and clear the way for his return to the NRL.
"I'm up [at the NRL] next week ... I've been vocal about this for ages - the situation with [third-party agreements] is not fair and equitable," Furner said.
"I don't know how you can come up with a value to arbitrarily place in the salary cap. The salary cap works, it's our only system of equalisation of talent. Obviously some athletes are more equal than others.
"But it still can't be manufactured to get around it, otherwise it undermines the salary cap.
"Maybe watch this space, maybe [the Rabbitohs] will have to lose three or four players to fit [Burgess] in. I'm very happy he's back in the game."
Furner is working in to lock in the talented Raiders roster before opposition clubs can pounce.
Teenage playmaker Lachlan Croker signed a contract extension until 2017 on Wednesday and it is hoped Jack Wighton, Josh Papalii and Josh Hodgson will sign new deals in the coming weeks.
Furner says he is against the marquee player system, unless each club in the competition is afforded the same opportunity.
"I was vocal against [marquee player allowances] when it came out. I know it hasn't been used, but in my mind it would only be used by two or three clubs," Furner said.
"I'd much prefer a model that was discussed where every club gets one marquee player and you can exclude that from your salary cap. That's about as far as you can get.
"That's a lot fairer than having a Sonny Bill Williams come back to the Roosters or an Israel Folau go to the Bulldogs, because that's where they're going to go. They're not going to come to Canberra. It's fairer if every club gets it or not at all."
