Parramatta will move away from offering player options as part of future contract negotiations as it emerged that struggling NRL clubs are each paying an average of $1.25 million per season to rivals to offload out-of-favour footballers.
The Eels are preparing to usher in a new era under incoming coach Jason Ryles, who has just finished his commitments as an assistant coach at Melbourne. Ryles’ priority is to refreshen the Eels staff and roster, along with the retention of Blaize Talagi.
The talented teen has been offered a three-year deal and the opportunity to replace Clint Gutherson as fullback.
Talagi is expected to meet with his agent to discuss the Parramatta offer and interest from clubs including the Dragons and Knights.
Talagi is on the open market after knocking back an option in his contract to stay put, with several of his teammates having similar clauses in their favour. The Eels have drawn criticism for giving eight of their stars an “option” in their contract, the majority of which are in the favour of the player.
The practice has clouded the long-term future of their biggest assets, halves Dylan Brown and Mitchell Moses, as well as other key members of the squad.
Dylan Brown, Mitchell Moses and Will Penisini have uncertain futures due to contractual clauses.Credit: Getty Images
Few NRL players are contracted as long as Brown, whose deal could tie him to Parramatta until the end of 2031. However, the Kiwi international can decide in early 2025 whether he wants to leave or trigger an option to remain for the 2026-27 seasons. Even if he stays, the speculation over Brown’s future will soon ramp up again – he will need to make a call in early 2027 whether to stay beyond then.
Moses, meanwhile, will remain in blue and gold until 2026, before deciding whether to take up options for the following seasons.
While there has been ongoing speculation about which contracted players Ryles will move on, only Ryan Matterson and Maika Sivo have so far been told they can look elsewhere. Both have taken up options to remain on the books, meaning Parramatta will have to pay some of their freight to make them a financially attractive option for a rival.
Another big name, centre Will Penisini, has an option in his favour beyond next season, while Shaun Lane and Haze Dunster have mutual options in their deals.
Eels captain Clint Gutherson expects incoming coach Jason Ryles to put his stamp on the club’s roster.Credit: Getty Images
In the future, Parramatta is expected to move towards “vanilla” contracts to ensure players don’t have the whip hand.
“You always need to be able to manage your roster to maintain your ability to make decisions and not be paralysed,” said Eels chief executive Jim Sarantinos.
“We always need to make sure we have a very strong focus on that. If that means, in the future, limiting the number of player options – particularly the number of player options that come up at the same time – then that’s what we will do.”
Whether the Eels will find takers for Matterson and Sivo – and whether other players will be tapped on the shoulder – remains to be seen. Moving them on will come at a cost, one that has been onerous on clubs at the bottom of the ladder.
According to an NRL benchmarking document disseminated to all clubs, the bottom four teams spent an average of $1.243 million each in “freight”, the amount paid to a rival to get them off the books. That contrasts with the $479,000 that a top-four team paid on average to shift an unwanted player.
While Ryles will require time to shape a roster of his choosing, Talagi’s signature remains a priority.
“Blaize and his family know how deeply we care for him,” Sarantinos said.
“We would love him to be at the club long term. We think he has a big future, and we believe that is with our club.”
One Eel set to move on is Matt Arthur. The son of sacked coach Brad Arthur has asked for permission to speak to other clubs and Parramatta haven’t stood in his way.
“While we would love to see him stay at the Eels, we understand the unique circumstances involved with this request and our decision to grant permission to negotiate with other clubs is based on compassionate grounds,” Sarantinos said.
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