SYDNEY: Australia's National Rugby League will not use their marquee top up on Sam Burgess but are confident the South Sydney Rabbitohs will balance their salary cap to allow him to play next year.
The Englishman's return to the South Sydney club after a brief but eventful spell in rugby union was trumpeted last month with local media reports putting his salary at A$1.5 million ($1.08 million) a year for three seasons.
Australia's Channel Seven reported on Thursday, however, that his registration had been blocked by the NRL because the contract put the Rabbitohs over the league's A$6.1 million salary cap for the 2016 season.
NRL head of football Todd Greenberg said he was unable to confirm that was the case as it was an issue for the league's integrity unit, but was certain any problems would be easily resolved.
"The Rabbitohs like any one of the 16 clubs have to balance their salary cap and I'm sure they'll do that," he said.
What Greenberg was able to confirm was that the provision for topping up the contracts of marquee players to prevent them moving to other sports or leagues would not be employed.
"No, we've made it pretty clear we're not going to use it. We haven't used it and we've got no plans to use it, it was brought in to give flexibility to the NRL," he added.
"At the time we said it might be used once in a generation or once in a decade and we haven't found a time to use it.
"He's got a contract with the Rabbitohs, it's up to the Rabbitohs to balance their salary cap. Every club gets treated equally."
Burgess switched codes to join Bath last year and was a surprise inclusion as a centre in England's squad for the recent World Cup.
Despite some strong performances on the pitch, he became a focus of criticism for a failed campaign after the tournament hosts made an early exit.
The 26-year-old remains a cult hero in South Sydney, however, after leading the Rabbitohs to their first title in 43 years in 2014.
The Rabbitohs open their 2016 campaign against fierce rivals Sydney Roosters on March 6.
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