Leading the review: Jim Doyle.

Leading the review: Jim Doyle. Photo: Tamara Dean

The NRL is considering allowing players to effectively be free agents at all times as part of a widespread review of the salary cap.

The ARL Commission has engaged all major stakeholders, including players, agents, clubs and the media for the first time, as it seeks to modernise the salary cap while retaining a level playing field.

Some of the options being considered include:

❏ The NRL centrally contracting marquee players in a system similar to cricket and rugby union;

❏ Having just one salary cap for all of a club's teams with NRL, National Youth Competition and State Cup to all come under the one umbrella;

❏ Providing a sliding scale for loyalty payments, which grants concessions the longer a player remains with the one club;

❏ Allowing players to shift clubs at any time, in spite of contractual ties, if clubs can agree terms;

❏ Implementing a salary cap that includes a limit on off-field spending on resources such as coaches or high-performance units.

The NRL will not implement any of the more radical proposals for next season, but all options are being examined to provide a system that will cater for the game's needs for decades to come. However there could still be some changes for next year if the key stakeholders agree they benefit the game. Some of these - such as abolishing the controversial second-tier cap - would require the renegotiation of the collective bargaining agreement, which was only signed off this year.

One proposal the NRL is keen to implement is the introduction of a salary cap committee to deal with complaints or challenges from the clubs. However, this would require a change to the governing NRL rules, which state this is solely at the discretion of the salary cap auditor. ''A lot of the feedback we've had is, unfortunately, that the salary cap auditor is the judge, jury and executioner,'' said NRL executive Jim Doyle, who is leading the review.

''We're looking at having a panel in place like a judiciary where there are a group of people who you can tell what you think and why you think that way.''

The lack of loyalty in the game - from clubs to player and vice versa - is a bugbear for many fans. However, consideration is being given to allowing players to move freely from club to club at all times if two clubs can agree terms, which may include a transfer payment.