Will Mark Nawaqanitawase's defection to the NRL sting Australian rugby? Yes. Is it end of the world? No. Are there lessons to be learned? Absolutely.
But perhaps the biggest takeaway from the rising star's switch to the Sydney Roosters, and Joseph Suaali'i's move in the other direction earlier in the year, is that the modern player has options -- and that it is a free market economy after all.
The key for administrators in both codes may then well be to put much of the bluff and bluster aside, and instead channel the same discourse that Roosters coach Trent Robinson offered at the time of Suaali'i's switch in March this year.
Robinson was considered, understanding and complimentary of the other game, but still proudly defended his club and code, ensuring no bridges were burned in the process.
And, if Roosters supremo Nick Politis is to be believed, has likely helped to ensure Suaali'i returns to the club once his reported three-year $1.6m per season rugby deal wraps up after the 2027 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Nawaqanitawase has also left the door open for a return to the 15-player game in time for that same tournament by signing with the Roosters for only two seasons.
Sure, he has probably spurned the opportunity to face the British & Irish Lions - a one in 12-year opportunity - but after being at the coalface of the Wallabies' embarrassing pool stage exit in France, perhaps Nawaqanitawase feels a 3-0 sweep by the tourists is not only possible, but entirely likely.
So why not then test yourself in the world's toughest domestic football competition - of any code - when you are nigh-on at the peak of your athletic powers at age 24?
It is the move of a player who right now has an unshakeable confidence in his own abilities, which sadly were under-utilised by the Wallabies after their opening win over Georgia in France. In that game, the Wallabies kicked superbly for Nawaqanitawase, ensuring they gave the 192cm winger ample opportunity to chase through to not only contest the aerial battle, but dominate it.
"It's just the want for the ball, the determination, if you start with that the rest will look after itself," Nawaqanitawase told ESPN after the 30-15 win over Georgia.
Sadly, Nawaqanitawase was unable to assert himself on the tournament thereafter.
But it is his aerial prowess that will have been so attractive for Robinson and the Roosters. Nawaqanitawase will be an invaluable replacement for veteran winger Daniel Tupou and even Suaali'i, a like-for-like replacement who also boasts an offload and a kicking game - albeit one he likely won't have to use in rugby league.
In a statement on Nawaqanitawase's decision, Rugby Australia thanked the 23-year-old for his efforts while also expressing its disappointment at his departure. While highlighting the depth the Wallabies have in the same position, chief executive Phil Waugh also resisted the temptation to issue a parting shot.
"We are disappointed - Mark has been a strong player over the last 12 months. However, the outside backs are a position of strength for us, with great depth coming through," Waugh said.
"We are confident we are well-stocked with talented wingers for the future."
For some fans on both sides, the code switches will be unforgiveable -- that is the reality of a divide that has existed since 1908. But for those able to look beyond that 115-year-old squabble, it adds another interesting sidebar to both games.
Can Nawaqanitawase soar into the corner and be a dominant sixth-tackle option? How will he handle the extra defensive work, and the constant expectation to bring the ball out of his own half, without the ability to kick it away? Can he do it over 27 weeks?
Can Suaali'i adapt to the code he played with distinction as a schoolboy? Will he put the bums on seats former Rugby Australia Hamish McLennan said he would? Can he soar to the same heights as Israel Folau -- or beyond, as fellow code hopper Lote Tuqiri suggested last week -- and establish himself as a global sporting star, rather than just a domestic one?
Their respective journeys will be closely followed, and scrutinised, before, who knows, they maybe end up back where it all started.
But the stewardship of their own careers, and by extension their own lives, is theirs and theirs alone; whether it be purely for financial reasons or to test themselves in a code that appears remarkably similar, but with many nuances and individual challenges that are often overlooked, it is their choice.
And, as the little girl in the Old El Paso ad says: 'Porque no los dos?' -- Why not have both?
Suaali'i and Nawaqanitawase have backed themselves to be successful -- all power to them.