Moss faces transfer rejection

Jonathan Moss could join Matthew Elliott in having his request for a release knocked back by Cricket Victoria as the state struggles to retain key players. Moss, the allrounder, wants to break his contract to return to his native New South Wales with his wife while Elliott is desperate to head to South Australia to take up playing and assistant-coaching roles.

The Cricket Victoria board will decide Moss's future and Michael O'Sullivan, the chairman of selectors, said the decision was "still up in the air". "Mossy's said he'll play well for us if he doesn't go, but once you get it in your mind that you're going home it's pretty hard to reverse," O'Sullivan told AAP. "It's in our hands ... but we're just waiting for the Elliott [hearing] to drop before we get to that one."

Elliott's case will go to a grievance tribunal next month after Victoria did not allow an instant move to South Australia, and O'Sullivan wants Cricket Australia to explain the state salary cap regulations. He believes the current set-up allows teams to "rort the system" by offering more money attached to assistant coaching roles. "It is open to that and, realistically, that's the way the states do it now," he said.

The player situation is becoming worse for the Bushrangers as New South Wales are chasing Brad Hodge while Mathew Inness, the left-arm swing bowler, is considering a move to Queensland or Western Australia. O'Sullivan said they wanted to retain Inness and he would be shocked if Hodge headed north.

"That would be a real bolt from the blue," he said. "He's been a Melbourne player all his career, he's been here all his life and all his roots are still here. I guess we're a bit more under siege than we would have expected, but I think that goes with winning the competition in 2003-04 - other states try to pick you off."