THE NRL has not ruled out the possibility of banning runaway footballer Sonny Bill Williams from playing rugby league in Australia for life.

While the Bulldogs and Williams's lawyers edged closer to finalising a settlement over the weekend - and the club expects its $750,000 payout to be deposited in full today - NRL chief executive David Gallop yesterday said the league would still consider placing a life-time sanction on Williams for abandoning the game.

"It is a hypothetical question for the future," Gallop said. "First, he would need a club to be interested in him and wanting to take him on.

"Second, it's one thing for him to get out of his contract with the Bulldogs but the fact is he's left a lot of people in the game disillusioned by his actions. I don't think there are strong prospects of him being welcomed back to the game."

The NRL is keen to maintain a hardline stance on Williams after the Bulldogs verbally agreed to a financial settlement negotiated by former ALP powerbroker Graham Richardson on Friday night.

One of the club's stipulations was that Williams could not play for another NRL team until the end of the five-year contact he broke, which was due to expire in 2012.

The Bulldogs also want payment made in full sometime today before it withdraws the injunction preventing their former superstar playing for French rugby side Toulon.

Williams is likely to finalise the matter sooner than later so he can play for his new side in a trial match on Wednesday.

"We hope that the matter will be resolved tomorrow," Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg said. "We want payment in full. The ball is in their court."

Gallop admitted the NRL had asked for Williams to public apology for walking out on the game - something Williams flatly rejected. "Yes, that was one of the issues that was raised," Gallop said. "We are still waiting on some of the details of the agreement."

Meanwhile, the NRL's match review committee will seek to obtain more video angles of the tackle by Warriors fullback Wade McKinnon on Cronulla hooker Isaac De Gois before deciding whether to lay a charge over the incident in Saturday night's game at MtSmart Stadium.

McKinnon hit De Gois with a shoulder charge in the sixth minute. De Gois had just passed the ball, but while the tackle is unlikely to be considered late, McKinnon is at risk of being charged with a high tackle because De Gois was left dazed and needing treatment to keep playing.

The committee will have to decide whether the first point of contact by McKinnon's shoulder was De Gois's head, or whether it was initially a shoulder to shoulder collision and the shoulder then slipped up and hit the head as well.

If it is judged to be straight contact with the head, McKinnon will obviously be charged, but if he is considered to have hit the shoulder first he could avoid a charge.

It was not abundantly clear from television replays shown during the match coverage whether it was shoulder-to-head contact first and the league will approach the host broadcaster in New Zealand, Sky TV, on the committee's behalf to see if other angles are available for consideration.

If McKinnon was charged and suspended, it would rate as a big blow to the finals chances of the Warriors. He had only made his comeback from a knee reconstruction in the previous week's win over Brisbane and had immediately found his form and continued it against the Sharks.

Warriors coach Ivan Cleary said he was surprised McKinnon had even been reported by referee Tony Archer. And Sydney Roosters hooker James Aubusson's progress will be checked today after he was badly concussed in Friday night's loss to Melbourne. Roosters club doctor John Orchard said Aubusson was yet to be ruled in or out of Friday night's game against Cronulla at Toyota Stadium.

"There's obviously a doubt over him, but he'll do all the regular concussion tests and we'll see how he comes up," Dr Orchard said.

"He wasn't real flash when he came off after being hurt, but he was pretty good afterwards. He watched the second half and was aware of what was happening around him, so we'll monitor his progress and make a decision later in the week."