Despite coming under fire from frustrated club bosses, ARLC chairman John Grant maintains he won’t follow in the footsteps of NRL chief executive David Smith and quit the game.

Tensions have continued to simmer between the clubs and the NRL over funding issues, with some reports suggesting Grant could be forced out, however the independent commission’s chairman has told News Corp he isn’t going anywhere.

“I don’t see myself not completing this term, which has got another two-and-a-bit years to run,” he said.

“So unless someone says I shouldn’t I don’t see anything changing. I love this role and I love the game.

It’s been a busy start to the off-season for the NRL, with the Smith’s resignation triggering speculation over who the next CEO of the game should be.

Smith was often criticised for lacking a rugby league background, and Grant said this would be an ideal quality for the game’s next boss.

“The next stage is moving the needle very much towards football. You can read into that that the next CEO should bring some sort of experience and capability in sport.

“This game still needs to be run with significant business acumen. You need people with that nous but with a bias towards sporting experience and understanding that side of the business.”

Grant also hinted that Mal Meninga was most likely to take over Tim Sheens job as Kangaroos coach, highlighting a personal preference towards a full-time coaching role.

This would all but rule out Wayne Bennett and Craig Bellamy, given their roles as NRL coaches.

“I don’t see how you can have a national coach that’s not near enough to full-time. It’s got to be more about them just coaching the Kangaroos side.

“They should be providing direction and assistance to the Jillaroos, the Prime Minister’s XIII, right down through the ranks.”

Meanwhile, Maroons great Darren Lockyer has ruled himself out of contention for the Queensland Origin job if Meninga is awarded the Australian role.