It won't get the headlines the NRL grand final in Sydney attracts, nor will it enjoy a fraction of the crowd or broadcast audience who will watch rugby league's season decider.

But in Hamilton, New Zealand on Sunday afternoon — just hours before the Penrith Panthers and Melbourne Storm face off — there's another match that may arouse interest in NRL fans.

It's not a rugby league fixture, however, instead it's one involving players from the rival rugby code.

The Australia Under 18 rugby union side will meet New Zealand Schools, continuing a tradition of junior international matches that stretches back to the 1970s and has produced a plethora of Wallabies and All Blacks.

It has also featured future rugby league stars and there are several players adept at both codes included in this year's Australian squad.

This presents one of Rugby Australia's (RA) major challenges: how to retain its best junior talent while facing fierce competition from the NRL.

Small victories count for a sport struggling for relevance in this country and this is why the recent decision made by Zach Fittler — a member of the Australia Under 18 squad — to sign a development deal with the NSW Waratahs was celebrated in rugby union circles.

Fittler, whose father Brad is an NRL great, represents the type of player that could be described as a 'dual athlete'.

A student at a renowned Sydney rugby union school, The Scots College, Fittler is also an outstanding league player.

He has represented the Sydney Roosters in the Harold Matthews (under 17) and SG Ball (under 19) Cups, both of which are NRL pathway competitions operated by the NSW Rugby League.

A career in the NRL potentially beckoned, but Fittler is sticking with union for now.

His signing with the Waratahs came as the code prepares to welcome the arrival of NSW State of Origin representative Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i.

Like Fittler, Sua'ali'i played for Australia at the junior level in union while also showing tremendous promise in league.

Amid considerable media coverage, he chose the NRL path and made his first-grade debut as a 17-year-old for the Roosters in 2021.

But last year it was announced Sua'ali'i had signed with RA and the Waratahs from the end of the 2024 NRL season, with his contract reportedly worth more than $5 million.

Code rivalry puts focus on talent

The examples of Sua'ali'i and Fittler highlight what has been blatantly obvious since the two rugby codes were forced to co-exist: they're essentially competing for the same type of athlete.

With the core skill-set transferable, many league stars played both codes in the junior ranks.

Wally Lewis, Ricky Stuart, Kalyn Ponga, Cameron Murray … the list goes on.

There is an ill-informed view NRL players only dabbled in union in their teens if they accepted scholarships to the prestigious schools that belong to Sydney's GPS and CAS systems, or the equivalent Queensland competitions.

Payne Haas, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Ezra Mam are just some who played union from outside those institutions.

A NSW Rugby official told ABC Sport last year they felt the presence of the 'dual athlete' at the junior level had never been more noticeable than now.

A glance at the Australia Under 18 squad only emphasises this observation.

Aside from Fittler, there are several squad members who play union at Sydney's GPS and CAS schools, and simultaneously pursue a junior league career with NRL clubs.

Fullback Rex Bassingthwaighte, who attends Shore and is a Sydney Roosters junior, appeared in the Harold Matthews Cup this year, as did back-rower Heinz Lemoto (The Scots College) while playing for the Penrith Panthers.

TJ Talaileva, a Barker College student, fronted up for the Newcastle Knights in the same competition.

From a 'code war' perspective, perhaps the most sought-after player in the Australia Under 18s is Newington College's Heamasi Makasini.

Makasini, who has been selected on the wing against New Zealand, played in the centres for the Western Suburbs Magpies' Harold Matthews Cup team earlier this year.

Such is his talent, Makasini was named the competition's player of the series after helping the Magpies reach the grand final.

He was also called up to the Wests Tigers' Jersey Flegg Cup (under 21) squad later in the year.

NRL going from strength to strength

Makasini is expected to embark on an NRL career but he's on RA's radar, with the Wallabies hosting the teenager and some of his Australian Under 18 teammates at a pre-Bledisloe Cup training session last month.

Former RA administrations have deserved criticism for their failure to keep their elite juniors, but the national body has sharpened its focus on its development pathways in recent years.

Initiatives such as the restructured Super Rugby Men's U16 and U19 competitions are a step in the right direction.

Providing adequate funding for these programs is vital and this is where RA struggles to keep up with the NRL, which is administered by the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC).

ARLC chair Peter V'landys declared last February $420 million would be spent on league's participation and pathways over the next five years.

V'landys said $82.8 million was committed to these areas in 2023, an increase of $9.7million on the previous year.

Fuelling the NRL's effort to secure the best junior talent is the financial strength it enjoys.

The NRL announced an operating surplus of $58.2 million in its 2023 annual report on the back of an 18 per cent growth in revenue.

Its media rights deal, sponsorship agreements, wagering and match-day income saw revenue reach $701.1 million, while its assets last year were worth $260.1 million.

The NRL's financial war chest also has ramifications for New Zealand rugby, where the tug-of-war nature of player retention is becoming a concern.

Writing in The New Zealand Herald last month, columnist Gregor Paul used the term "code-agnostic" when describing teenage boys at first XV level becoming increasingly ambivalent in choosing between union and league once they leave school.

Paul suggested a potential second New Zealand NRL franchise — to join the Auckland-based Warriors — would only add to the fear of a talent drain in union, universally considered to be the country's national game.

RA facing financial challenges

In contrast to the NRL's solid financial footing, RA finds itself in a dire position.

RA reported a deficit of $9.2million in 2023, although the figure was impacted by the fact only two men's Tests were played in Australia because it was a Rugby World Cup year, meaning less domestic match-day revenue.

In light of its financial woes, RA was forced to utilise an $80 million credit facility on a five-year term with a private equity investment firm last November.

Hoping to aid its predicament, RA is banking on next year's British and Irish Lions tour of Australia and the hosting of the respective men's and women's Rugby World Cups in 2027 and 2029 to replenish its coffers.

The Lions tour in 2013 helped create a $35 million incremental surplus in that year, however the net figure in the financial statement was listed as $19.5 million because it was offset by deficits incurred by the then-Australian Rugby Union.

RA will save money in the long-term after pulling the plug on the Melbourne Rebels, who had accumulated a debt of almost $23 million prior to entering voluntary administration last January.

A healthier balance sheet will assist the code in junior player retention, as will improved on-field performances.

The Wallabies are languishing in 10th position on the men's world rankings and finished last in the recently completed Rugby Championship with just one win from six matches.

They lost both Bledisloe Cup Tests during the tournament, failing to break the All Blacks' stranglehold on the silverware that stretches back to 2003.

The Wallabies are also coming off the embarrassment of their group-stage exit at last year's Rugby World Cup in France.

Outside of the ACT Brumbies, the Australian Super Rugby Pacific sides — now reduced to four following the Rebels' demise — haven't made an impression in the competition, which has also failed to capture the sporting public's imagination since its rebranding in 2021.

The poor performances from Australia's international and provincial teams aren't helping entice dual-code juniors to union.

If one of those juniors has the option of pursuing a league career, it won't be surprising if they are attracted to the prospect of playing in the hugely popular NRL and its jewel in the crown, State of Origin.

Playing opportunities — and potentially salaries — are also set to increase in the NRL with the ARLC planning to expand the competition from 17 to 20 teams inside the next decade.

NRL expansion will only add to the challenge facing RA in its attempt to keep hold of its junior talent.

At all costs, they want to avoid the Australian Under 18 squad becoming a showcase of the next batch of NRL stars.