AUSTRALIAN Rugby League chairman Colin Love has denied Mark Gasnier would be immediately excluded from representative teams if he signed with French rugby club Catalans.

The ARL is facing the potentially embarrassing situation of having Gasnier - the face of the Heroes 08 advertising campaign for the World Cup - exercising an escape clause in his contract with St George Illawarra to quit the NRL for a $700,000-a-year deal to play rugby in France, or to link with former Wallabies coach Eddie Jones in England. His departure would prompt calls for him to sacked immediately from representative sides.

But NSW captain Danny Buderus has retained his position despite having signed with the English Super League next year, and Love said yesterday there was no hard and fast rule for departing players.

"Firstly, Mark hasn't gone anywhere yet - and let's hope he doesn't go," Love said. "But if it were to happen, the decision would be up to the selectors and they would not have any direct instructions about what they should do.

"They select the NSW and Australian teams on merit. They take a lot of things into consideration, including the future of the game. But there is no blanket rule about players being stood down if they decide they are leaving the NRL. It's not that cut and dried. There's no rule that says you cannot pick players who are not going to be in the competition the following year."

Last year, Test coach Ricky Stuart claimed NSW centre Matt King should be dumped from the third Origin match after announcing he had accepted a four-year deal with English Super League club Warrington worth $2.8 million. Stuart's calls were ignored and King played.

"I don't know the details about whatever Mark may be considering," Love said. "We don't know when he might be going. He might be leaving straight after the season and, if that was the case, he obviously wouldn't be available for the World Cup. Otherwise, as always, the Australian team would be chosen on merit."

Stuart had support from Gold Coast coach John Cartwright for King's sacking, but senior NSW players labelled Stuart's stance "silly".

"By no means is it a personal attack on Matt King - he deserves everything he can get out of the game," Stuart wrote at the time.

"I think Matt is a terrific person and a great player, so this is coming from an Australian coach who's concerned about the game and the message we're sending. We've got to start coming up with ways of keeping our players here. I can't think of a bigger message than for the league to take a front-foot stance and stand Matt King down from Origin."

Buderus's retention of the Blues captaincy came without a word of protest despite his lucrative two-year deal with Leeds. A long-time servant such as Buderus - 18 Origin games, 24 Tests, one premiership and two Kangaroos tours - has accrued enough Brownie points to be allowed to remain a representative player. But it might be different for Gasnier. He's 26 and entering his prime. His exit, not just from the NRL but rugby league all together, might not be viewed so favourably. The ARL could be looking for a new face of the World Cup.