St George Illawarra centre Mark Gasnier will this morning quit the Dragons to play rugby union in France despite an 11th-hour bid by club boss Peter Doust to keep him in the NRL - a proposal which received a general pasting from fellow officials yesterday.

The 26-year-old will end months of speculation by confirming at St George Leagues Club today that he has signed a two-year deal with Stade Francais, which will only fuel debate about how to stop the game's newest threat - European rugby union.

The most controversial idea so far, to allow players to play two codes on two continents, which came from Doust on Sunday, was largely met with disdain by a cross-section of the game's officials.

Two NRL coaches who have played around the calendar, Manly's Des Hasler and Parramatta's Michael Hagan, both dismissed Doust's call.

"What happens if he gets injured?" said Hasler, who played with Manly and Hull FC back in 1993.

"How do you account for insurance? I know it's only rugby union, but it's the mental side of things.

"If he (Gasnier) comes back and has a couple of bad games, what are you blokes (the media) going to say? You'll be saying, 'how did they let him go over there?'

"I don't know how you could play a whole season, State of Origin, Australia, semi-finals, then pack up and play four months of rugby, and then come back and play another full season back here.

"Come on. Please."

St George Illawarra winger Wendell Sailor was last night thought to be the next league player who could join a French rugby club.

He is understood to be in negotiations with Craig Gower's club Bayonne.

Penrith winger Luke Rooney has also signed with Toulon.

Melbourne boss Brian Waldron was adamant the NRL should concentrate on increasing its revenue streams and put up with losing players in the meantime.

"League's future is in its youth," he said. "It'll be sad to see Gasnier go, but it will mean St George Illawarra will have a sizeable amount of money to spend on other players coming through."

Player agents Allan Gainey and Steve Gillis agreed Doust's concept wouldn't work.

"It won't happen," Gainey said. "The seasons overlap and neither the rugby nor the NRL club is going to want to give up the part that overlaps."