MOMENTUM is growing for an independent commission to replace the cumbersome power structure of the NRL, triggered by a series of seismic eruptions across the rugby league landscape, reminiscent of the Super League war.

The AFL announcement that it would have teams in rugby league strongholds of western Sydney and the Gold Coast by 2012 upset former league players, while poor crowds at ANZ Stadium continue to look bad on TV.

Poor broadcasting deals, despite stellar ratings on Fox Sports, register with fans. But Sonny Bill Williams's flight to play rugby union in France has sent shockwaves through the game, leading to calls to abandon the salary cap.

What were once whispered, confidential ripples and off-the-record talks about an independent commission have turned to a tide.

The speed bump in the process is the NRL's two equity partners - the Australian Rugby League and News Ltd. They distrust each other, with senior News Ltd executives telling anyone who cares to ask that they will not surrender power to the ARL under its current leadership structure.

The ARL, under-resourced and burdened by running a World Cup, appears to be waiting for the expiration of the peace treaty, signed at the end of the disastrous Super League war. Its immediate focus is running a successful centenary tournament in October-November, mainly to create a bank to fund an international calendar independent of News Ltd.

After all, with TV rights destined to plateau in Australia, international business is the way to generate growth.

The 1997 peace treaty states: "The Merger Agreement provides that at the earlier of 20 years or the repayment of News' new investment in the NRL, News will transfer its directorships to the current franchisees … then the agreement provides that 'at some time after the earlier of those dates' News Ltd will transfer its interest in the partnerships to the current franchisees."

Uncertainty over what constitutes "new investment" and what is meant by "at some time after" lends weight to the argument News Ltd is in no hurry to exit the game. News Ltd has surrendered ownership of two of its four clubs - Canberra and North Queensland - although at least two News Ltd-aligned directors, Frank Stanton and Gorden Tallis, sit on the Cowboys board.

News Ltd's exit from the Cowboys cost $2 million, significantly different to the $8 the Raiders paid for their release - $2 each for four shelf companies.

The Broncos, 67 per cent owned by News Ltd, are the only publicly listed club, and recorded a $1m profit last year, while Melbourne Storm, a fully owned News Ltd team, lose between $6m and $8m a year.

The ARL and News Ltd each draw $8m from NRL coffers, with the ARL funding development while most of News Ltd's money covers Melbourne losses.

Because of the vagaries over what constitutes News Ltd's "new investment", it's more likely the 20-year exit period will end before the debt is repaid. Although the agreement states News will surrender its directorships eventually to "current franchisees" - presumably the NRL clubs in existence in 2017 - many club bosses believe the propaganda that control will pass to a group of vice-presidents now aged in their eighties.

Ten vice-presidents control the NSWRL, which effectively controls the ARL. In other words, if the ARL takes control of the NRL, clubs such as Newtown - a member club of the NSWRL no longer playing in the elite competition - will have more power than, say, the News Ltd-owned Broncos, or Eric Watson-owned Warriors.

And even if power was shared between the ARL and the "current franchisees", some NRL club bosses fear the rule of the Sydney octogenarians. But the 10 VPs, many of whom have been long-term volunteers, are about as relevant to the case for an independent commission as the argument there are "too many RLs". Sure, there's a CRL, BRL, QRL, VRL and NTRL but there is also a VFL, SANFL and WAFL in the AFL. Every sport with high levels of volunteers needs regional structures. Because the AFL has full-time employees in western Sydney, rugby league's critics ignore the thousands working for nothing in AFL strongholds.

The challenge is not to eradicate the RLs but to establish a peak decision-making body. At present, NRL chief executive David Gallop has to make a half-dozen phone calls every time he confronts a major issue - to News Ltd bosses such as John Hartigan and Peter Macourt, followed by talks to ARL chairman Colin Love and NRL Partnership director Nick Politis.

An AFL-style commission at the top, consisting of independent businessmen, leading former players and even former politicians, would overcome the inertia and avoid conflict of interest accusations.

News Ltd says Politis is conflicted when he makes decisions which affect the club he chairs, the Roosters, while News Ltd half-owns Fox Sports, which holds the pay-TV rights. It is in the interests of the broadcasters to depress rights fees in order to screw down the salary cap.

If the NRL is ruled by a commission, who chooses the independent directors? Will News Ltd want to appoint half and the ARL the other half? Maybe the "current franchisees" could vote in the commission and the ARL continue to run development and the representative program.