JUST when it appeared the turbulence at Wests Tigers had peaked, an undercurrent of doubt has emerged over the new $3.5 million contract of skipper Robbie Farah.

Announced on March 21, Farah's four-year extension is yet to be lodged with the NRL.

The delay is yet another symptom of unease at the joint venture, which is verging on implosion over the future of head coach Mick Potter.

The Tigers are expected to formally sever ties with Potter in the near future, unable to ignore a torrent of player complaints over his communication methods.

Farah on Friday voiced his support for the besieged coach, but the NSW Origin star is himself locked in protracted negotiations with the club.

The Daily Telegraph has learned that Farah was still owed sponsorship money when he agreed to play out his career at Concord earlier this season.

He ignored inquiries from Souths, Newcastle and Parramatta in the expectation that the outstanding amounts would be made.

Farah's manager Sam Ayoub refused to comment on the reasons for the delay when contacted on Friday, but confirmed the contract had remained unsigned on his desk for "some time".

"Despite the fact (that) the contract has not been signed, there's been constant and regular dialogue between the club and ourselves," Ayoub said.

"We are working toward getting it signed."

Tigers CEO Grant Mayer met with Ayoub on Thursday in a bid to have the contract finalised as soon as possible.

According to Mayer, negotiations have revolved around what component of the deal will be classed as marquee payments and therefore quarantined from the base salary cap.

But the five-month delay flies in the face of NRL regulations, which state that all contracts must be lodged within a fortnight of the deals being announced.

Mayer said the club had been in contact with the NRL salary cap team about the delay.

But according to others at the Tigers, the real reason is because the announcement was rushed in desperation to secure the club's most valuable player for life.

The Tigers board wanted to announce Farah's extension before round one, placing pressure on former CEO Steve Humphreys to get the deal and outstanding payments finalised over the off-season.

But neither was done prior to season kick-off, triggering Humphreys' departure in May.

The benefit of hindsight would make Humphreys pleased he is no longer involved with a divided club that many believe can only be cured through a constitutional revolution that involves dumping the Wests-Balmain split board and start again with independent directors solely aligned to the NRL entity.

As with most big decisions at the club, views on Potter's future are running along political lines.

Senior figures within the Balmain camp want to axe him in favour of NSW Origin assistant coach Trent Barrett.

The Wests faction doesn't appear to have a preferred replacement and was recently expressing support for Potter to fulfil the second year of his contract.

Potter's backers claim he deserves the chance to hire his own coaching staff and roster, rather than one inherited from former coach Tim Sheens.

Thursday's announcement that support staff Steve Georgallis, Royce Simmons and Andrew Leeds would not be at the club next year went some way toward that end until it emerged Georgallis and Simmons were already leaving of their own accord.

But the attitude of players appears likely to make the decision over Potter a no-brainer.

The coach began to lose player support over his handling of Benji Marshall's benching in round 10, but the stench of decay in the dressing room is now overwhelming.

Farah on Friday declared his desire for Potter to stay on but that's not a unanimous view.

Potter's imminent axing will leave the Tigers at risk of paying out two former coaches in 2014. After honouring Sheens's monthly wage since October last year, the board recently decided to stop.

Sheens has responded by serving the club with legal letters demanding full payment for the remaining 15 months of his deal.

The ongoing mess over Sheens has been a constant for the club, and it's hoped the Farah standoff doesn't follow suit.

Comparisons are being made with Humphreys' failure to sign up Beau Ryan a month after the charismatic winger agreed to a three-year extension. Ryan became jittery about his future and jumped at the security of a deal with Cronulla.

His defection was the final chapter in a woeful tale of salary cap mismanagement, which has seen Bryce Gibbs, Chris Heighington, and Andrew Fifita also lost to the Sharks before their time was up.

And while Marshall has been justifiably criticised on form, the playmaker appears to have been short-changed after striking a verbal deal with Humphreys to have his contract extended until the end of 2017.

Wary that Marshall was on the decline, the new administration made the tough call to change the goalposts on their most marketable star.

Potter appears certain to be next, while Farah wants more love before he commits.

Yet despite the publicity nightmare, Tigers officials insist they are working toward a plan. They just need some clean air to explain it.

Originally published as Farah deal in doubt as Tigers tremor