Canberra Raiders chief executive Don Furner says stalled ARL Commission talks are affecting more than just the salary cap, with club staff unaware of where they stand after 2017.
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The ARL Commission and NRL clubs are locked in a boardroom war for the game's money with officials yet to agree on a salary cap for 2018 and beyond.
The bitter dispute is set to cost commission chairman John Grant his job as clubs rally together to have him ousted.
But the players are the forgotten members of the battle and it threatens to stall contract negotiations for some of the game's biggest stars.
Raiders winger Jordan Rapana headlines a list of players coming off-contract at the end of 2017 and the unknown salary cap will complicate talks with the Raiders.
Grant is under siege after a memorandum of understanding to pay clubs 130 per cent of the current salary cap was pulled off the table.
Talks had been scheduled to iron out the league's funding model with regards to the salary cap, football department expenses, the status of collective bargaining agreement negotiations and the NRL's digital strategy.
However, discussions fell through and NRL clubs remain uncertain about how much they will have to spend under the salary cap from 2018.
Furner says the Green Machine are "pretty lucky" because the majority of the club's top squad is locked in until at least the end of 2018 as they put the pieces together for long-term success.
But Rapana's future will be a hot topic as the Raiders attempt to retain the NRL's equal leading try-scorer of last season.
Rapana is the only first-choice first grader off-contract but a number of fringe players, including Lachlan Croker and Adam Clydsdale, are looking to secure their future with new deals.
"We've got a lot of guys that are signed past the end of 2017 but certainly players want to know earlier and earlier their futures," Furner said.
"Come early next year a lot of them will be wanting to know what's happening in 2018 and 2019."
The effects are being felt right around Raiders headquarters with the uncertainty surrounding the salary cap flowing on to the club's overall financial situation.
"It's not just the players, We've got a lot of staff [who are caught up as well]," Furner said.
"I spoke to our doctor and our physio – they want to know if they're here in 2018 and what our finances will be, which is the whole issue with the 130 per cent.
"We thought we had 130 per cent, we could certainly bank on that. Not knowing what we're going to have or not have in 2018 is certainly difficult, not just for the players [but] as I said, for all the staff that we've got here.
"It's a tough time at the moment because I think we as clubs think that we deserve the 130 per cent that they promised us, and that's what we're going to push for."
Another meeting between the clubs and the ARLC is scheduled for December 20.
Meanwhile, it looks as though the Raiders have released back-rower Jarrad Kennedy to the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles.
Kennedy was pictured in a Manly jersey alongside a number of players including Jake Trbojevic, Curtis Sironen and ex-player John Hopoate.
Kennedy played 49 games for the Raiders since making his debut in 2012 and was named in the 2016 NSW Cup team of the year while playing for Canberra feeder club Mounties.
