Australia's former long serving National Rugby League chief executive David Gallop claims rival codes have every right to fear the awakening of the sleeping giant on the nation's sporting landscape.
On his first day as Football Federation Australia's new boss, Gallop said the ongoing success of the Socceroos along with the blistering start to the A-League season would not be going unnoticed by rival codes.
The arrival of world-class players Alessandro del Piero and Emile Heskey has created unprecedented levels of interest in the A-League and in-turn football - momentum Gallop is keen to build on.
And having spent the best part of a decade telling anyone who would listen that rugby league could usurp the AFL as the national code of preference, Gallop now says football is the sport the rival codes must fear.
Gallop was adamant his long history in sports administration would outweigh his lack of football experience.
