KIWI star Bryan Henare must sit and twiddle his thumbs for the next few weeks because of Home Office red tape.

Kiwi second rower Henare, signed from Oldham in the off season, has been told he can't play for Leigh Centurions until Adam Bristow's application for British citizenship has been processed by the Home Office in London.

Centurions' skipper Bristow has applied for citizenship and would, therefore, come off Leigh's overseas quota. But that could take weeks.

However, Leigh MP Andy Burnham has come to Leigh's aid and is helping speed up the process.

"Adam and the club have done everything by the book, but these things take a long time to process," says coach Paul Terzis.

"Until the RFL get proof that Adam's application has been accepted, they won't allow us to play Bryan," he adds.

"Of course Bryan is bitterly disappointed. But he's shown a tremendous attitude and is still turning up for training and on match days.

"It's an unfortunate situation, but hopefully it will be one that can be resolved quickly now Andy (Burnham) is using his influence."