The NRL will meet the Rugby League Players Association on Thursday as the parties ramp up collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The RLPA met its members at Monday night's annual general meeting to gauge their reaction to a number of key issues before outlining its position to head office.

The salary cap figure and the desire for a guaranteed share of the game's revenue are two of the big-ticket items that will be discussed on Thursday. However, there are several other pressing issues that the players feel strongly about.

The NRL is seeking to beef up the powers of its integrity unit, particularly in relation to its probes into gambling and match fixing. Rugby League Central wants the power to seize tax returns, phone records and bank accounts if it reasonably suspects players have been involved in corrupt behaviour. The Tim Simona scandal is a case the NRL will likely put forward as an example where it is appropriate to utilise such powers.

However, the majority of players have baulked at the idea, fearful of having their privacy invaded. They are already duty bound to co-operate with NRL investigations under the code of conduct and don't want to give the governing body police-style powers without concessions in return. A potential trade-off could be the establishment of an independent panel to hear integrity issues in what would be a landmark separation of power from the NRL.

Such a move would still allow the clubs and head office to investigate integrity issues, although the sanctions would be delivered by a separate, independent entity. The union believes such a move will allow matters to be heard without the perception that media pressure or commission or club influence have any role in the outcome. Clubs may also welcome a move that could allow the NRL to prosecute a case but prevents them from acting as judge, jury and executioner.

The RLPA has raised the issue in preliminary talks with the NRL, which has indicated it does not want to relinquish responsibility. However, an independent panel may be the compromise in return for further investigative powers. The panel could potentially have the ultimate say on whether the NRL is granted the power to demand personal information from players as part of any potential investigation.

Any such agreement would only happen if the players feel they are being treated as genuine partners in the game and is likely to be contingent on a guaranteed share of revenue.

Cameron Smith will play a lead role in negotiations after replacing Clint Newton as general president of the union. The Kangaroos, Maroons and Storm captain was already an RLPA board member but will now play a greater role in CBA matters.

The RLPA has formalised its board following the AGM, which now includes George Burgess, James Maloney, Tim Mannah, Ian Prendergast, Russell Adams, Deidre Anderson, Jeremy Latimore, Nimesh Shah and Joseph Sponholz.