Penrith chief executive Brian Fletcher says it was his club's duty to allow the majority of their NRL team to play representative football this weekend following the mass-exodus from rival sides.
The Panthers will have 13 of their top squad play in the senior City-Country, Pacific and Anzac Tests, the second equal-most of any club behind St George Illawarra.
Five of those players will appear in Sunday's City-Country in Mudgee, following a desperate late-night SOS call from City coach Brad Fittler to Panthers football boss Phil Gould.
Both James Tamou and Matt Moylan were added to the squad late on Monday morning as Fittler struggled to find 17 players for the last of the annual fixture, but Fletcher said it was the Panthers' job to supply them to help keep rugby league alive in the state's central west.
"We're all talking about football dying in the country," Fletcher said.
"I think we've all got a bit of a duty to make sure it doesn't. We're doing everything we can."
The Panthers have a deal with the western region to take a home game to Bathurst each year until the end of 2028.
They also run quarterly bush clinics in the town and its surrounding areas, but Fletcher is still concerned about the drain of teenagers playing bush footy after speaking to Bathurst officials.
"They get them to under-13s but then they go and play another sport," Fletcher said.
"We can't have that happening - we've got to get out there and showcase the game and try and get the young blokes to further on with their careers."
The Dragons have the highest representation in elite senior grades this weekend with 15 players, ahead of Penrith and Melbourne on 13.
Brisbane have 12, as do the Warriors, while Canterbury are the only other club in double figures with 10.
However at the other end of the spectrum the Wests Tigers have just five in senior representative squads, with Canberra, Gold Coast and North Queensland tallying six - with the Queensland clubs having less eligible for City-Country.
It's understood that more than 50 players across the league also made themselves unavailable for the Mudgee clash, amid fears of injuries and player burnout.
But Penrith players can see the upside - hoping a week in representative camp could spark their sluggish start to the season.
"The club supports everyone playing," captain Matt Moylan said.
"Hopefully we can take a bit out of this week and bring it back to club footy."
VARYING FIGURES - HOW MANY EACH NRL CLUB HAS SUPPLIED TO REPRESENTATIVE ROUND:
St George Illawarra- 15
Penrith - 13
Melbourne - 13
Brisbane - 12
Warriors - 12
Canterbury - 10
Cronulla - 9
Manly - 8
Sydney Roosters - 8
South Sydney - 7
Newcastle - 7
Parramatta - 7
North Queensland - 6
Canberra - 6
Gold Coast - 6
Wests Tigers - 5
*Figures apply to senior City-Country, Pacific and Anzac Test squads
