A series of meetings across Sydney on Tuesday loom as D-Day in rugby league's civil war.
It is hoped three meetings rolled out one by one - starting with a NSWRL meeting, followed by a gathering of ARL officials and ending with an NRL partnership meeting - will reach some sort of agreement and compromise in the clubs' ugly fight for extra funding.
All 16 NRL clubs are asking for an additional $500,000 each to cover existing debt before signing licensing agreements to play in the 2012 competition.
Their request now has the backing of the ARL, which produced an about-face on Monday to declare it was behind the clubs' push after it was initially believed it opposed it.
That has left News Limited, co-owners of the game with the NRL, out in the cold.
The media organisation will refuse to hand over control of the game with an $8m debt hanging over it.
That means all hope of the game's new independent commission being up and running by November 1 is in ruins.
The messy affair has claimed high-profile NRL partnership committee chairman Colin Love, who quit his post in frustration over the impasse.
The ARL's changed stance has confused everyone in the game, with one insider telling Sportal: "One minute they're Arthur and the next they're Martha."
"It'd be nice if they worked out what they were doing and stuck to it."
But ARL chairman John Chalk insists his organisation never had a problem with the clubs' plea for extra cash.
"Contrary to reports, the ARL has not taken a position to oppose NRL club requests for additional funding for the 2012 season," Chalk said.
"I have called for an urgent meeting of the ARL (on Tuesday) to discuss the issue and for a position."
"My personal view is that the clubs' funding request represents an affordable and sustainable increase in club funding for the 2012 season."
Many involved with the game are asking why the clubs don't simply go to the banks for extra money instead of holding a gun to the NRL's head.