Newcastle tried to offload Canberra signing Joseph Tapine to the Sydney Roosters as the contractual saga took a bizarre twist.

The Rugby League Players Association and the NRL are set to intervene while Tapine and the Knights are at loggerheads after the forward signed a three-year Canberra deal that comes into effect from next season.

It's understood the Knights floated the prospect of an immediate release, but only if Tapine joined the Roosters. That move would give the Roosters forwards cover, particularly while representative forward Boyd Cordner recovers from an injury that could sideline him for several months.

However, Tapine doesn't want to be at three clubs in the space of eight months and is hopeful of gaining an early release to head to the nation's capital.