ARLC chairman John Grant claims he won't be breaching the ARLC constitution by taking on additional duties during the search for a new NRL CEO, but club powerbrokers wanting his scalp will be seeking their own legal advice on the matter.

As revealed by Fairfax Media, there is clear a line of demarcation drawn between ARLC directors and those performing executive functions at the NRL under the ARLC constitution. In order for a director to take up a CEO or managerial role at the NRL, they would need to step off the ARLC board. Should that happen, it may not be possible to return as a director as they will likely fail the independence test in the constitution that states they cannot do so for a period of three years.

Outgoing NRL CEO Dave Smith will finish up at the NRL on November 30 and Grant has stated he will take on extra responsibilities while recruiting firm Signium International seeks a replacement.

The potential conflict of interest will be discussed when a sub-committee of powerful club bosses - including Bart Campbell (Storm), Jim Doyle (Warriors), Ray Dib (Bulldogs), Nick Politis (Roosters), Scott Penn (Sea Eagles) and Dennis Watt (Brisbane) - gathers for a meeting next Wednesday. "We'll be asking some questions to see if he is breaching the constitution," one powerbroker said.