However, the uncapped third party agreements are starting to cause angst inside NRL headquarters. Third party agreements can be earned by players from sponsors who are not associated with the club and which cannot be guaranteed by the player's club.

Fairfax Media understands Weeks told club bosses he was concerned about the growing gap among clubs of third party arrangements and that it could take away the effectiveness of the salary cap.

While the NRL has trumpeted the salary cap for keeping the competition close, the roster value of some clubs would dwarf that of others. Battling clubs such as the Wests Tigers and St George Illawarra struggle to attract third party sponsors while some of the top teams are easily equipped with top-up payments.

Weeks stressed that the NRL wanted to ensure the best players stayed in the game but the review would focus on ensuring a fairer system.

The meeting also informed clubs of a financial incentive should they help promote finals fixtures. Traditionally, clubs have been reluctant to put too much energy into getting extra attention for finals games because the NRL has kept the profits from attendances. However, the NRL is offering clubs a share in the gate revenue. The NRL has worked out likely crowds for each finals game – based on the past five years – with clubs splitting any money gained when attendances break the projected crowd figure.