The NRL's investigation into salary cap breaches at Manly could drag on until after this year's upcoming finals series, according to Sea Eagles chairman Scott Penn.
The NRL integrity unit have been looking at Manly's books for almost two months after the NSW Organised Crime Commission was believed to have uncovered secret player payments.
Penn is adamant the club will soon be cleared of match-fixing by NSW police.
"We've engaged with the authorities recently to understand where it's at. Our understanding is that in the near future the match-fixing investigation will be closed," Penn said on Wednesday.
"That's up to them to come up with that, but we don't believe there'll be anything come of that from a club perspective."
However the Sea Eagles owner admits the dark cloud of cheating the cap is likely to hover over the game and club until October because of the league's ongoing pay talks with the players.
"I spoke to (NRL chief executive Todd Greenberg) last week and said, 'We've given you everything we've possibly can, where are we at?
"It's unlikely that anything is going to happen this side of the finals. We're probably looking at the off-season at this point, but we're confident our corporate governance is strong.
"We've given them everything, so there's absolutely nothing else to give and hopefully we'll be exonerated in due course."
Penn remains confident there are no financial skeletons in their closet.
"We actually know we have one of the least amounts of third-party agreements of any club. I think it'd be most surprising," he said.
"There's just a lot on. If they had of wrapped up the collective bargaining agreements earlier, they may have got onto it.
"I'm not saying they're not trying, but the fact is it's a busy time of the year coming into finals with trying to lock away the CBA and other things, they've got to focus on that.
"It's really a personnel issue."
Penn also urged his players against any possible boycott of this year's Dally M awards, World Cup and finals series promotions - should they make the cut.
The players' union have refused to rule out action should pay talks stretch past next week.
"They're their own men ultimately, but their playing contract is with us, the club," Penn said.
"So as employees of the club, we would implore them to maintain the standards of the club and what we want. It'd be disappointing if there were boycotts."
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