Third party agreements represent a minuscule proportion of total payments to players and are declining quickly, according to figures released by the NRL in an attempt to quell the widespread suspicion these arrangements between sponsors and players are distorting the salary cap.

In other words, TPA deals are no big deal, says the NRL, whose data shows the total size of the TPA market in 2017 was $9.6 million across 198 players, down from $11 million in 2015.

No dramas: TPAs such as those involving Cameron Smith and Billy Slater have been played down by the NRL. Credit:John Veage

Arms Length Agreements (ALAs) – the potentially rortable TPAs where the club, ostensibly, has no role in arranging the sponsorship – represent 53 per cent of total TPAs.

The other half consists of the 20 per cent allocated to the now abandoned marquee player agreement (up to $600,000 per club allowed to be spent on top players), 8 per cent tools of the trade (boots) and 19 per cent from "whole of game" sponsors, such as Telstra.