PAUL Terzis admits his patience is wearing thin while Leigh Centurions and the other NFP clubs await their fate.

Until the Rugby League's 'Strategic Commission' report on the future make-up of the game is announced, Leigh are in limbo.

And Leigh's head coach is frustrated at the delay which is holding up his pre-season planning.

"It's annoying that we still don't know the make-up of the league, the format, the playing season - all sorts of issues," he complains.

"The date of the Strategic Commission review has been put back and put back. No-one seems to know when the details will be released to the clubs. We've now been told it could be September."

Terzis says the next couple of weeks will be crucial for the club's future.

"What happens in the coming days will shape the direction that Leigh Centurions must take in the next three to five years.

"Until we get some firm guidelines from RL HQ on which way the game is going, then we can't make any firm plans with any certainty.

"My feeling is that they will go three divisions: Super League, NFP1 and NFP2 - and all starting next March. That could also mean the NFP sides starting with some sort of cup competition to get them through the winter months and to the start of the Challenge Cup.

"But at this stage it's all guesswork, based on vibes we are picking up."

Another major concern for Terzis is the possible scrapping of the Under 21s Alliance league next season. "If that happened, the whole outlook of clubs would have to change. More emphasis would have to be put into development and academy schemes. In that respect we're ahead of the game here at Leigh."

Scrapping of the Alliance divisions would flood the market with players - Terzis estimates around 400. "Who knows what talent may be available in the coming weeks," he points out.

While the game sorts itself out, Terzis is busy re-negotiating with existing squad members for next season.

"Nine players are already signed up, two more are pretty close and we've signed another two players in Rob Ball and Danny Turner.

"More talks with players will be going on over the next week or so, but I'm confident that we'll keep everyone we're looking to keep.

"While the club has been flooded with calls from players wanting to join us, our priority at the moment is negotiating with the current squad. We have made no commitment to anyone outside the club."

Terzis feels that some of Leigh's major rivals, such as Rochdale, have taken a massive gamble by recruiting heavily in the current uncertain climate. "If things don't work out with the league re-structure as they seem to think, clubs like Rochdale could end up with egg on their faces having made such a big financial commitment.

"We are certainly not frightened of recruiting but we'll be waiting until we know all the facts before making any moves. Surely that's commonsense. I'm not too worried about what other clubs are doing."