NRL boss Todd Greenberg is imploring players to get more involved with the game to ensure its longevity for the future.

And a big part of that is the players' relationship with the media.

The NRL is arguably the worst code in the country for putting players up for interviews.

Most NRL clubs do a couple of press calls a week consisting of two players which are paraded in front of all media. Hardly the best outcome for fans.

Once upon a time the media was given access to several players from a club with journalists granted the ability to speak one on one with players allowing for exclusive stories.

That is no longer the case as a growing trend of protecting players and clubs becomes more prevalent in the age of the 24-hour news cycle pulling back on players’ exposure to fans.

Such a position toward the media is in stark contrast to the AFL who go to extreme lengths to make sure their players are available at vitrually the drop of a hat.

The Sherrin kickers know very well the more their code is written about the more people will be exposed to their game, thus making it stronger.

So with the new agreement between the NRL and the players currently being nutted out, the time has come for players to take more ownership of the game.

They want to be “partners” so it is time to put up. And much of that comes down to showcasing the game to as many people as possible through the media.

NBA players do interviews minutes before the starts of games with media given access to virtually any player they wish to speak with at full-time. And these guys make squillions.

The fact it is one of the biggest sports in the world is no coincidence with the access given to the media who cover the sport and expose it to billions.

So with NRL players set to be given a bigger share of the game, Greenberg said the code, and ultimately the players, would benefit from the NRL's most recognisable representatives advertising the sport better.

“When I talk to the players they feel like they’re servants of the game not like partners of the game and I am happy to deliver that but what goes with ownership is more accountability," Greenberg told Fox League's NRL 360.

"And that’s the discussion we are having with the player’s association. Let’s not spend the next five years talking about how much of the pie we all have, let’s talk about how to grow it.

“I am not talking about small things here I am talking about fundamental change. I want to see players providing more access, players buying in to the game and it is important players feel like partners. If they feel like partners, and the game and the players are aligned we have the ability to take the next step.

“Ultimately it comes down to words and actions.

“It is easy to say we will be partners but you have actually got to demonstrate it. There is a leap of faith for us in doing this negotiation and a lot of it has to be built on trust. A lot of it will be myself and my leadership team at the NRL and the clubs all buying in with the players."

But what if the players don’t buy in the way they should?

“Then that is not a real partnership," Greenberg said. “There will obviously be things in the deal around standards and there will be  KPI’s and all the normal kind of language you would expect.

“But at a real principal level it is about us getting the players to genuinely feel like they are part of the game. And if they don’t feel like that now we haven’t done a good job of that.

“So I want the players heavily engaged and feel like partners because I genuinely think if they do do that and feel like that the game will grow and that can only be a good thing for everyone. For broadcast partners, for fans of the game and for the grassroots.”