South Sydney is yet to clinch a deal with unsigned superstar Greg Inglis
SOUTH Sydney is adamant there are still a few hurdles before Greg Inglis is over the line at Redfern.
Souths are scheduled to meet Inglis and his manager this week to make a formal offer and remain optimistic about the star centre wearing red and green next season.
However, Rabbitohs chief executive Shane Richardson yesterday ruled out the club paying any part of Inglis's legal bill, one of the triggers for his deal with the Broncos falling apart.
"I can tell you now we won't be paying the bill because if we did pay the bill it would be cap-able," Richardson said.
"I'd like to think he will be joining us but there's no guarantees. I know he loves the game and we're in with a chance. We'll find out in the next couple of days how good a chance. But if this does drag on too long I've got no doubt Greg will go to rugby union or AFL or somewhere else.."
Inglis has been at odds with Melbourne over a $117,000 legal bill stemming from his successful defence against assault charges involving fiancee Sally Robinson last year. The Storm hired a QC to defend Inglis, with the club's own image also at stake.
Inglis is happy to pay $87,000 of the bill but isn't pleased about getting stuck with the full amount, given he had no say in who was hired. The NRL has already indicated any club that pays a portion of Inglis's legal bill will have to include it in next year's cap.
"The situation with the legal bill and Melbourne is a simple one," Richardson said.
"He's not saying he's going to pay the legal bill himself _ what he's saying is he queries the bill.
"You query bills every day of your life whether it be electricity bills or legal bills. That's something his manager and his lawyer is working through with Melbourne."
Brisbane chief executive Bruno Cullen wouldn't comment yesterday but a source close to the club said the deal had fallen away following the involvement of Russell Crowe and Anthony Mundine.
Inglis has said he was ready to join another code until Crowe intervened and asked him to join the Rabbitohs.
"The legal bills had absolutely nothing to do with it," a Brisbane source said. "The legal bills would have been sorted out. Everyone is carrying on about the legal bills but there's no way Inglis wasn't going to be playing rugby league somewhere next year.
"Common sense would have prevailed but somewhere in the last couple of weeks Mundine and Crowe have got involved and talked him out of signing."
The Broncos' situation wasn't helped by an impasse over changes to playing contracts which was a legacy of the Storm's salary cap scandal this season.
The NRL was keen for new guidelines to be introduced where managers and players would have to sign statutory declarations confirming the contract was salary cap compliant.
However, both the players' union and agents' association baulked at the proposal and the contracts of several players including Inglis were left in limbo until a solution could be reached.
Richardson said he was confident the situation wouldn't lead to bad blood between the two clubs.
"People underestimate what we do in the indigenous community with our employment programs and Souths Cares and all sorts of things," Richardson said.
"Things went on for a long while with the legal situation with Melbourne and maybe he had second thoughts about it."
