League: Villasanti could pay price

The warriors' pain may not be at an end as indications have surfaced that the embattled club is being forced to offload at least one player, understood to be Richard Villasanti, to make it under the NRL's salary cap for 2006.

The Warriors are working with the NRL to see how they can get their player payments down after being about $1m over the cap for the past two years - the reason the club was docked four points.

The Warriors have so far been quiet about the steps needed to fit under the cap this year. Chairman Maurice Kidd would not comment on player movements or confirm if the club was considering such moves to get under the cap.

However, the Herald on Sunday understands the club has put Villasanti on the market - not to sell or cut him but to see if another NRL club will take over his contract.

Villasanti seems the perfect candidate for this manoeuvre, as he is off-contract at the end of the year and it is thought that he does not figure in the club's long-term plans.

Villasanti was a successful signing for the Warriors and came under the heading of marquee player and, more relevantly, would be on a comparatively marquee salary.

Known affectionately as Villa the Gorilla, the big Australian front-rower has played well in the past but has been a peripheral figure with the arrivals of Ruben Wiki and Steve Price. However, taking over his contract would allow another club to see if Villasanti was right for them.

It is not known if the Warriors are considering further such deals or cutting other players but Kidd did give a hint that there might be other solutions at hand.

The Warriors are leveraging off the fact they have been open and communicative with the NRL over the cap breach and are now attempting to persuade the NRL that they should be permitted to disburse the excess by which the Warriors are over the salary cap for 2006 by other means.

"It's possible we might be able to spread some payments into a future year," said Kidd. "We're working with them on that basis and I hope it can be sorted out quickly."

It's a fairly common tactic in business to spread costs from one year to the next when circumstances and financial propriety allow but the NRL will need to approve this.

It is not known whether the Warriors will be forced into more player movements if the deferral is not approved by the NRL.

On the bright side, however, league sources say the NRL knows it has hit the club hard and is keen that it does not overdo the punishment. The matter should be resolved this week, as both parties are keen to wrap up this episode before the NRL kicks off on Friday.

Kidd refused to confirm or deny that the club were looking at player loss. He did concede that player loss was one of the options open to the club if they could not get under the cap by other means.

His reticence to discuss the subject is understandable given that the players have already been bruised by the loss of points.

However, there is another threat looming. League sources in New Zealand, Australia and the UK have indicated that the time could be ripe for UK clubs to approach Warriors players for the next Northern season. Such an offer, generally for very good money, may now seem much more attractive to some players.

-HERALD ON SUNDAY