Just days before the season kick-off, the game's bosses have called for clubs to take more responsibility in managing the workloads of the NRL's elite players after revelations that training schedules have doubled since 2005.

With the NRL premiership set to start on Thursday night, the game's biggest stars can expect to play up to 28 premiership and finals matches for their clubs, three State of Origins and two Tests before the next off-season.

South Sydney and Brisbane players, who meet in the Suncorp Stadium opener, have already featured in the NRL NInes, the All Stars match, the World Club Series and club trials.

But statistics compiled by the NRL suggest increased training loads are a significant cause of player burnout as the amount of games they are being asked to play has not changed greatly in the past decade.

NRL head of football Todd Greenberg said the amount of time players were training had almost doubled in the past decade and that would be one of the issues discussed in talks with the RLPA about the expectations on the game's stars.

"We know that players 10 years ago did approximately half the amount of training they are doing right now," Greenberg said. "Ultimately we are looking to create value and always monitoring the workload of players so we are going to be in deep consultation with the elite players this year talking about some of those challenges."

The RLPA blocked a proposed tour by Britain at the end of this season to ensure Australian players could enjoy an off-season largely free of international football, although the Kiwis are now travelling to England for a three-Test series.

The latest debate about burnout arose after a record 21 players were unavailable for the Kangaroos in the Four Nations at the end of last season, including 12 members of the squad which helped Australia regain the World Cup the year before.

While Melbourne stars Cameron Smith, Billy Slater and Cooper Cronk were rested at times last season and Parramatta coach Brad Arthur did not play Jarryd Hayne after a State of Origin match, ARLC chairman John Grant said clubs needed to do more to protect player welfare.

"The clubs have a responsibility here and they need to exercise responsibility on behalf of their employees," Grant said. "I am  not being critical when I say that, but if you look to the centre all the time to fix these things it won't work so we have got to have a regime where everyone understands what the club's responsibilities are and they take that responsibility. It is interesting, last year we lost a number of players who were not fit for the Four Nations and if you look at those players now they have had a refresh period and they are now as fit as they have ever been. This player education and player welfare cycle is a joint responsibility between the player and the club and the league and all of us have to do our job. If you take the short-term approach, which says that we have got to have Greg Inglis to win the next four games, you will ruin the long-term opportunity to win the premiership - it is as simple as that."