League: Warriors agents could be stripped of status

The fate of player managers Jim Banaghan and George Mimis could be decided on Thursday with the pair facing the possible loss of their accreditation.

The pair have been investigated for their part in the Warriors' $860,000 salary cap breach. Banaghan manages eight Warriors, including Ruben Wiki, Brent Webb and Nathan Fien, and he also manages Justin Hodges, Josh Hannay and Michael and Joel Monaghan. Steve Price is Mimis' only player at the Warriors but he also represents Mark Gasnier, Darren Lockyer and Brett Kimmorley.

They are accused of, among other things, accepting free flights to Auckland from the Warriors and not declaring commercial agreements for their clients to the NRL.

Gavin Orr had his application to join the Player Agent Accreditation Committee (PAAC) rejected after he allegedly forged the signature of one of his players, Fuifui Moimoi, but an agent has never before been stripped of their accreditation.

Agent accreditation has been voluntary in the past but will become mandatory from November 1 when a new collective bargaining agreement is introduced. Hundreds of players might need new agents if the pair are stripped of their accreditation because the NRL would not accept contracts negotiated by unregistered agents.

The Warriors have openly said they think it's unhealthy for one agent to represent so many of their players but any agent de-registration could affect future player contract negotiations.

Reports out of Sydney suggest fresh documents have emerged that raise more questions about the role of managers and the pair have been asked for further explanations.

But Banaghan and Mimis have threatened legal action if their accreditations are revoked and have challenged the PAAC's ability to investigate retrospectively. The pair are expected to attend Thursday's meeting, when they will present their case.