Former Sydney school teacher Chris Dawson asked someone with criminal connections if they knew anyone who could "get rid of his wife", a court has heard.
Mr Dawson, 72, is on trial accused of murdering his wife Lynette Dawson in 1982 and then disposing of her body at an unknown location.
He has pleaded not guilty.
In an opening statement before the Supreme Court, Crown prosecutor Craig Everson SC said Mr Dawson was motivated to kill his wife so he could have an "unfettered" relationship with a school student who has been given the pseudonym "JC".
"He was infatuated with her. He repeatedly asked her to marry him," Mr Everson said.
JC will give evidence during the eight-week trial that on a 1975 flight to the Gold Coast Mr Dawson asked his rugby teammate Robert Silkman about finding a potential hitman to "get rid" of his wife.
Mr Silkman, who played for the Newtown Jets with Mr Dawson, had admitted criminal connections but Mr Dawson's enquiry went no further, Mr Everson said.
JC is also expected to give evidence that in 1981, during a trip to the Newtown Jets clubhouse, Mr Dawson told her he contemplated getting a hitman to "get rid of" Ms Dawson but decided against it as innocent people would be hurt.
The Crown's case is that about January 8, 1982, Mr Dawson either alone or with another person murdered Ms Dawson and then later, possibly with assistance, disposed of her body.
Ms Dawson's remains have never been found.
She has not made contact with any of her family since she went missing and the Crown argues there are more than reasonable prospects of conviction.
Although there several witnesses who say they saw Ms Dawson after January 8 and Mr Dawson told police he had received phone calls from her after this date, the Crown will seek to disprove these testimonies.
Mr Everson told the court there was "animosity" by Mr Dawson towards Ms Dawson as she had not been able to give birth to children at the same time as his twin brother Paul's partner.
The trial will hear from numerous witnesses about observations of violence toward Ms Dawson and that Mr Dawson described her as a "fat and ugly bitch", Mr Everson said.
The court heard Mr Dawson initially told JC Ms Dawson was "gone and wouldn't be coming back" and reported her missing to police about six weeks after her disappearance.
At the time of Ms Dawson's alleged murder, JC was away on a holiday at South West Rocks with her friends and was considering whether to end her relationship with Mr Dawson, the Court of Criminal Appeal previously heard.
Mr Dawson made a successful application for a judge-only trial but made an unsuccessful application for the entire trial to be subject to a non-publication order.
This morning Justice Ian Harrison rejected the application on the basis of open justice.
The trial is adjourned until Wednesday.
