Nevertheless, the AAC will soon be supplied with the brief of evidence, putting pressure on the two Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) committee members, as well as the two player managers who sit on the body. Some committee members feel the process has been torturous, waiting for the ARLC to indemnify the disciplinary body but finally draft letters have been exchanged, with one source saying: "The indemnity won't be an impediment to getting on with the process." It is widely believed the delay in prosecuting powerful agents over the Parramatta breaches has been caused through implied threats by them to out NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg over some perceived breach he committed while boss at Canterbury. However, a member of the NRL investigation team told the Herald he has been given unfettered powers to prosecute, with the only restriction being to produce a compelling case. Furthermore, ARLC chair John Grant has taken a direct interest in the investigation, liaising with COO, Nick Weeks. Anger against player managers has intensified in recent months with the group accused of playing significant roles in the sacking of coaches. While former Souths coach Michael Maguire was sacked by football manager Shane Richardson, a very experienced official with every right to make the call, Maguire may also have fallen foul of a powerful player manager.

There is increasing concern at player managers trafficking their players to a club where the coach is also a client. Prominent agent Isaac Moses has three clients – Brisbane's Adam Blair, Manly's Blake Green and Cronulla's Gerard Beale – all of whom have signed with the Warriors, where the coach, Stephen Kearney, is also on Moses's books. Moses did not respond to a request for a comment. Green's uncooperative behaviour at Manly, before his release, surprised the club where he was very popular. Jason Taylor was also sacked as Wests Tigers coach early in 2017 with three high-profile Moses clients – prop Aaron Woods, half Mitchell Moses and fullback James Tedesco – subsequently moving to other clubs. More players are leaving small agencies to join the powerful ones, suggesting that the old practices of using a senior footballer to recruit younger ones for his player manager are continuing. One former NRL chief executive said of a still prominent agent: "He represented two players whose contracts came up at the same time. One was a journeyman and the other an international. He said of the journeyman: 'Pay him what you can but you've got to give big dollars to the international.' He then waived all commission for the international on the condition he recruit young players to his stable." One grand final club has a third of its players represented by one agent, raising the question of how much duty of care he can exercise and how does he decide which of say, two young client halves, he shops to a club needing a No.7.

Clubs protest at the laziness of agents in securing sponsorships, or endorsements for their players, yet they have only themselves to blame, while also breaking the rules. Third-party agreements (TPAs) must be at arm's length from a club, yet it is widely know most are secured by the club, which then informs the agent. The agent collects 20 per cent of TPAs, as well as the 6 per cent of the player's contract with the club. Agents also gain commissions from tipping a client into an investment. The Herald exposed the case of still prominent agent, George Mimis, who, in 2005, was offered a $150,000 discount on a $770,000 home unit in Sydney, provided 10 of his clients, mainly St George players, each purchased a unit. The players were unaware of the incentive and Mimis subsequently withdrew from the purchase. Free agency, the absence of a draft and a transfer window, unenforced rules around TPAs and secrecy over contracts all enhance the power of agents. There is a myth AFL player managers only charge half the commission of their NRL equivalent because their fees are regulated by the AFLPA.

In the AFL, the market sets the rate, with some charging as high as 6 per cent, although some big AFL agencies do not charge players drafted in their first couple of seasons. However, AFL management contracts are not as exclusive, or regulated as the NRL. An NRL player cannot exit his contract with his manager until it has expired, while an AFL player can move on and pay out the commission owed on the remainder of the term. Loading When a club calls a player to an unexpected disciplinary meeting, it counts down the seconds until the player's manager calls the club demanding details. Yet when supplied with the information and invited to the meeting, he declines. As one club official said: "They can tell you what position he should play, how many more tries he should be scoring and how much money we should be paying him but when the shit hits the fan, they've got puny excuses for not being available."