“I look at it very differently. I look at the fact that Australia in club competition rugby league is one of the great successes in world sport.
“But it’s reached a stage where Australia by its definition is a prisoner of its own geography, it’s a prisoner of its own economy.
“Its broadcast deal has just reached incredible levels of value, but where is the growth there?”
McManus said rugby league in Europe is the “antithesis” of what Australia has achieved with the sport but that change was possible.
“We’re a sport that hasn’t necessarily been run very well for too long, but there is incredible growth potential here,” he said.
“This is not a matter of picking at a carcass, taking over a weak sport.
“Both sides should be looking at this as how do we combine to make rugby league as a sport globally one that can really grow and strengthen.
“Certainly in terms of growth in Europe, it’s got unlimited potential, so how do we work together to exploit that?”
In a statement, Rhodri Jones, managing director of the Rugby Football League (RFL), said: “We are genuinely interested in exploring a mutually beneficial and financially fair partnership with the NRL, which we firmly believe would unlock the significant added value benefit of creating a single global entity for the sport.”
BBC Sport has contacted the NRL for comment.