The Western Force Super 14 franchise are reluctant to pursue controversial sponsor Firepower through the courts to recover hundreds of thousands of dollars owed them.

Force chairman Geoff Stooke said yesterday that he believed "there would be no money to recover money from".

Stooke said the current focus was on keeping the team's four Firepower-linked players happy. These are Australia's highest-paid rugby player, Matt Giteau, who is owed more than half a million dollars, and fellow Wallabies Ryan Cross, Cameron Shepherd and the injured Drew Mitchell.

The players were lured to Western Australia by lucrative third-party Firepower contracts. However, none of the players nor the club has been paid since last December. Coach John Mitchell severed his contract with the company last August.

Stooke said deals to replace the players' third-party contracts with Firepower were well in hand, although personal matters affecting new chief executive Greg Harris have stalled negotiations. Still, it is understood the players' managers have contacted the club seeking reassurances following a story in the Herald on Monday about Firepower Operations being wound up in the Federal Court.

Firepower chairman Tim Johnston hired the legal firm Johnson, Winter & Slattery to commence legal proceedings against the Herald. However, the firm, which no longer acts for Johnston, is seeking nearly $70,000 in unpaid legal bills.

The players are contracted to the Force and the ARU but the franchise is under financial pressure to replace the failed Firepower deals, especially with the ACT Brumbies circling Giteau.

Stooke said the club's lawyers would consider joining the Federal Court proceedings, although he said his personal view was that it might prove pointless because he feared there was no money left in Firepower. Both the Western Force and Rugby WA are owed significant six-figure sums by Firepower.

Others affected have been less reluctant, with the Media Arts and Entertainment Alliance investigating whether it can list unpaid Sydney Kings basketball players as creditors in the court action.