We should be settling his contract ASAP. Or at least de-registering him on an agreed lower wage.

I would agree, it won't wash (or it shouldn't), but if he's agreed to de-registration then effectively he isn't a contracted player. Any payments then couldn't count on the cap. It's not exactly in the spirit of the game, I admit.

I can't see us releasing Long this season in order to get Ellis on board before 2012

a. Why would Leigh want to release their scrum-half early without a transfer fee
b. Agar will probably want Long back for the end of the season, especially if by some miracle we reach the play-offs
c. We would have to compensate Long in 2012 for the salary he hasn't earned for the remainder of the season, assuming he stays on as player/coach for Ellis

I very much doubt Leigh will let Ellis go, or that Ellis himself will want to miss out on winning the league with Leigh (and sticking two fingers up at the idiotic decision to "promote" Widnes)

Leigh are in dire straits financially, a minimal fee would secure his release. But I do think Ellis would say no, and I don't think we would put him in a position like that.

You think a minimal fee is worth more to them than winning the competition?

They'd win it without him.

Leigh could be in administration within the next couple of weeks,from what i've been told.So it may not even take a fee to get him early.

isn't that exactly what you did with obst to cover for long's prolonged absence?? so why do you need to do it again?

They would still count on the cap, the only way it would work was if Long agreed to walk away with no wages. That won't happen.

We can rule Jeff Robson out, he's signed a two year deal with cronulla.

Good.

I'd like to see the RFL try to count it on the cap.

Of course they would, we just can't pay people off and it not.

There's a difference between paying someone off and payments to a de-registered player.