MELBOURNE Storm football operation manager Frank Ponissi yesterday said the threat of rugby union to the National Rugby League ranks and the Storm had been overstated. However, he conceded there was little the premier could do to deter any player who wanted to chase the money in Europe.

The Storm has a number of high-profile players coming off contracts over the next couple of seasons, with Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, both 2009, and Greg Inglis, 2010, among them. The club did remarkably well to limit the damage of a tight salary cap this year, with Israel Folau probably the biggest loss to Brisbane.

However, while Britain's Super League has traditionally been the biggest cause of player drain, a new threat is beginning to emerge with cashed-up European rugby union clubs eager to snatch the NRL's best talent, highlighted by Test centre Mark Gasnier's decision to defect to the rival code on a huge deal.

But Ponissi, who spent some time on the coaching staff at European rugby union teams, including Montferrand in France and as a defensive coach with the Springboks, said it was too simplistic to say the lure of big bucks would be too great for most players. He said in many cases, such as Gasnier's, there were personal circumstances that would suit the move.

"Sure money that has been thrown around is attractive, but it would be a complete change to the player. It will be a new code, new country, new culture, new language … it's not as easy as you think," Ponissi said.

"In the last few months I've had a few players from other clubs ringing me, who had the opportunity to go over there but turn it down. Money is a big factor but there are a lot of other big factors."

Meanwhile, former Storm captain Robbie Kearns said there was no better time for struggling prop Antonio Kaufusi to reclaim his standing in the club than by a strong performance against the Dragons at Olympic Park tonight. Kaufusi has hit a form slump this year after coming back from a series knee injury he received playing for Queensland in his state-of-origin debut last year.

The powerful 23-year-old, in his sixth season with Storm, was dropped to the reserves last week and missed the team's 48-20 thumping of North Queensland in round 15.

Kearns, who still works for the club in promotional and assistant coaching roles, said with the current depth of the Storm front-row ranks, Kaufusi had fallen in standing from the time when he was a starting prop.

"He's not in the top two at the moment, but he still remains in the top four," Kearns said, add that Kaufusi had shown good signs since his return and would regain the on-field intensity that marked his game in 2006 and until he was injured in 2007.

Storm have three players from its feeder club Central Coast Storm, Russell Aitken, Brett Anderson and Aiden Tolman but Storm high performance unit manager Mary Toomey said all in the named teamed, including those still recovering from niggles after the Origin series such as Brett White (back) and Michael Crocker (overall soreness), were fit to play.

The Dragons' Jason Ryles will play his 150th NRL match in tonight's clash and believes the game would determine whether his side is a premiership contender or pretender. "We have our best side out there so this will be a big indication of where we are at and we'll be going down there to play as best we can," Ryles said.

With AAP