NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg has defended under-fire ARL Commission chairman John Grant and hosed down talk of a move by clubs to oust him.

Tension is mounting between the clubs and Grant over the failure to secure a funding agreement, with four club chairmen walking out early from a meeting with him at Rugby League Central on Wednesday.

The walkout came after the NRL pulled the club funding agreement from the table, arguing that until the collective bargaining agreement and salary cap were agreed upon, it was pointless negotiating the funding deal.

The matter looms as a test of Grant’s leadership and he could find his position under threat if the clubs and state bodies were to unite in a bid to overthrow him.

While Grant’s tenure is being questioned, Greenberg had no doubt he should remain.

“John’s a good man who works hard and always puts the game first,” Greenberg said on Thursday.

“And he’s continued to do that as the chairman, I have absolute faith in that.”

There will be another meeting between the chairman and the clubs next week.

Last December, the two parties reached an in-principle agreement that from 2018 club funding would equate to 130 per cent of the salary cap.

However that deal was never finalised and the club’s frustration at Greenberg’s and Grant’s inability to get the deal done is growing.

There are a number of sticking points getting in the way – including the NRL’s insistence on creating a sinking fund to prop up failed clubs.

The clubs insist it is not their responsibility to provide funding to a failed rival club.

The NRL’s inability to finalise the salary cap for 2018 is also a source of growing frustration with agents, players and clubs.