THE QUESTIONS

1. Which issue needs to be resolved ASAP?

2. How should the independent commission fix this?

3. If there was one thing you would wish for this season, what would it be?

THE NRL BOSS chief executive David Gallop

1. Rugby league clearly has some big commercial opportunities, we'll do really well out of those, but there'll be some questions how the money will be distributed. We want our clubs to get more money, we want our players to get more money, we want to make sure we're investing in our grassroots programs. I don't think there is any one thing, but it's about maximising; making sure the game's current position is maximised.

2. [The commission will] achieve that by doing a lot of listening. The structure gives an opportunity to have a more co-ordinated approach, an approach that is measurable in terms of setting targets. If people meet targets, [then] funding will follow.

3. My hope is our competition goes down to the wire and that August is a month where 16 teams are in contention for those eight spots and in September we have a great finals series. I also hope our clubs and players continue to be well regarded for what they do off the field.

THE SPORTS MINISTER Graham Annesley

1. It has become clear to me that the issues many sports deal with are remarkably common. Structure and corporate governance are prime examples of issues most sports grapple with. Rugby league has now commenced addressing these matters and is well placed to focus on other key strategic issues such as competition structure, broadcasting rights, sponsorship, participation, public image and market growth.

2. The creation of the ARL Commission is a huge first step. There is now a wealth of corporate talent and game experience available to support CEO David Gallop take the often difficult but necessary decisions to take the game to another level. There is no magic wand, so it will be a work in progress resulting in continuous long-term improvement.

3. I hope all players, whom many young people look up to as role models, respect and understand the important and privileged position they hold within the community. A season free of scandal that showcases the talents and success of players and clubs would be my wish.

THE PLAYER Penrith captain Luke Lewis

1. Salary is the biggest issue to sort out first. There are [fringe] players doing the same amount of work as the full-time players and the first priority has to be to look after the minimum wage and build their way up from there.

2. I have no idea [how they do it] … that's why we have the commission on board. We have to get behind them 100 per cent and get everything rolling. I think the commission is outstanding and it has been a long time coming. All the boys are behind the commissioners.

3. My wish for the season would be that I have stayed injury-free and that at Penrith all of the boys do so as well and that we have a bit of a laugh as we do something we love.

THE COACH Sydney Roosters' Brian Smith

1.& 2. I'm not in a position to judge what needs to be addressed. I see this as the most exciting period I've been around and I see this as a fantastic opportunity - if we get behind the new structure in our sport. We had a bit of a flurry but it turned out to be a false dawn when Super League came in in the mid-90s, but the people we have on the rugby league commission are held in a high regard by people generally, and maybe our game can capitalise on this great opportunity.

3. My dream is easy - I have been chasing it for a long time. My dream is the Roosters do really well. We're not highly fancied and we weren't in 2010 [when the Roosters made the grand final] but other clubs have shown as well that you can make rapid improvement and, while we have a lot of ground to make up, I think we can be a very good side.

THE COMMENTATOR Peter Sterling

1. Especially for someone in my position, I'd have to say the broadcasting rights. For everybody's sake, the sooner the better. It's taken a while for the independent commission to take the reins. It's a process that wasn't rushed; nor should it have been. The broadcasting rights have been a talking point for a long time and everyone will be happy when it's established what will happen from this season and onwards.

2. Some big figures have been bandied about and it will be interesting to see if those dollars are available. They have people with expertise in that department on the commission, so I'd imagine they will be well versed in how to go about it to maximise the money they can for the game.

3. A really good standard of play across the board. The salary cap makes for evenness across the comp, which makes for exciting viewing and plenty of upsets. I'm looking forward to a good season where we're talking more about the players' ability than anything else.

THE EX-PLAYER Scott Hill

1. The biggest issue is country rugby league. There's nothing being done. If they don't do something in the next 12 months, AFL will eat them up. AFL has been proactive in country areas, pushing into NSW and Queensland.

2. It would be good to see ex-NRL players get out to country areas, like we did up at Inverell for the Men of League. You could do that in centres like Tamworth, Port Macquarie, Ballina and Dubbo once a year. You could even tie it in with NRL games taken out there. It would also be great for NSW to set up a similar competition to the Queensland Cup.

3. To keep the kids in the country and keep the game alive by building these centres around the NSW Cup. We don't want to see kids picked up at 15 and then lost to the game.

THE GRASSROOTS De La Salle Caringbah junior coach Scott Longmuir

1. I'd like to see a more professional structure in coaching the junior coaches. It would be great to see an integrated structure which filters down to the grassroots so the bloke looking after an under-6 team is getting instruction on the best way to coach kids, even if it is about how to make the training sessions fun.

2. John Lang was a great first-grade coach and his knowledge should be utilised. He lives in the Cronulla area, so why can't he be employed by the commission to be the coaching co-ordinator of the Cronulla Sutherland juniors? The commission could appoint similarly experienced people to fill that role in other junior leagues and country districts.

3. My hope for rugby league is that it realises its enormous potential and continues to grow.

THE FAN Melinda Gainsford-Taylor

1. I would like to see more financial support for the clubs because they need some breathing space. A lot of people think because some players are getting so much money the clubs are doing well financially, but that is often not the case.

2. Grassroots football is something else the commission must be mindful of, to continue to develop the game.

3. My dream for the game is that it gets a great broadcast deal and the funds help the clubs. That support needs to be addressed before such things as raising the salary cap.

THE WANNABE CLUB Ipswich Jets chairman Steven Johnson

1. On behalf of my club, Ipswich Jets, and the western corridor, our biggest problem in the game is the way our kids are removed from our home environment by NRL clubs and relocated before they are mature enough. That was one of the reasons we formed our bid in the first place. We're a tremendous breeding ground for rugby league and we've done a great job developing players for the NRL system. We need the NRL clubs - even if our bid doesn't get up - to trust us in our development; to leave these kids at home to grow into men, go to school with their mates, kick the footy in the backyard. Don't fly them to Sydney and preclude them from playing with their friends of a weekend. When they're men and ready for the NRL, then take them. They'll be better players for it. We've lowered the age of failure in our game to 15 and it's ludicrous. That's the biggest blight on our game. I firmly believe NRL clubs shouldn't sign a player until they're 18.

2. The first focus of the commission needs to be at grassroots level. Then the game will take care of itself. We've got this fractured development which is overseen by four bodies and doesn't work. I know they've looked at that and have a plan.

3. I'd wish that all parties put self-interest aside and give the commission time to plan. Give the commission time to breathe and tell us how it intends to take the game forward.