They are once again being harmed by the Eels’ hiring practices.
Although the Parramatta Eels have stated that options in contracts will not be their main source of income going forward, they will soon learn this lesson the hard way once more.
In recent years, the blue and gold’s hiring practices have grown to be seen with disdain.
Because players on their current roster are holding them to a wage cap ransom and are free to choose what they want to do on their own terms, it seems like they limit their sole capacity to negotiate with their own players or even those from rival teams every year.
Perhaps not as awful as it is now, but it has been bad before.
With the assurance that they have a backup plan at Parramatta, Dylan Brown, Shaun Lane, Ryan Matterson, Will Penisini, and youngster Saxon Pryke have been permitted to engage with other teams since November 1 (27 days ago).
Lane and Pryke have mutual options, which means the club must also pick them up. However, mutual options are frequently based on performance-based standards, which are typically attainable.
As 2026 approaches, the contracts of seasoned forwards David Klemmer and Christian Welch, who play for the Melbourne Storm and Wests Tigers, respectively, are comparable.
Overall, however, Parramatta has nearly half of the players in the league with partially or fully advantageous options on their books for 2026.
Although we don’t have access to all of the salary cap information for the players with options, Dylan Brown is thought to make $900,000 year, Ryan Matterson roughly $600,000, Shaun Lane similarly, and Will Penisini $400,000 annually.
Given that a new contract is imminent, it would seem that the latter of the foursome will receive a significant upgrade if he is to stay with the Eels in 2026.
All told, we are discussing almost $2 million in salary, and the Eels are unsure of their current situation as 2026 approaches.
The Eels will lag behind other teams at the negotiation table by six months if all of those players wait until the middle of next year to exercise their options, which would be their right under the existing terms, but then fail to do so.
The fact that Parramatta is unable to go and sign new players is the main problem. Every one of the players with options is a starting player who contributes significantly to the wage cap. In the unlikely event that they accept their offers in July, the Eels would not have been able to find a replacement.
That’s where the problem is.
because all players who have contracts expiring in 2026 are currently able to negotiate. Additionally, they have been since November 1.
If you want to sign big guns, it’s usually too late to begin negotiating in the middle of the year.
However, if all of those players make their judgements early, it might be all right for new coach Jason Ryles and his hiring team.
It’s unclear how many of those four guys the Eels really want to keep on deck, but that’s not the point here. The Eels probably want to hit restart.
The point is that it hinders their capacity to bargain for six, and it should come as no surprise that players have very few options throughout the competition.
Therefore, it is not surprising that there have been recent allegations indicating the Eels are now trying to eliminate the two-year player options in Mitchell Moses’ contract for 2027 and 2028.
If they are not removed, the representative from New South Wales will be permitted to return to the open market on November 1, 2025.
The Eels need to act fast to acquire responses from their five players who have 2026 options, even as that operates in the background.
Additionally, Dylan Brown is the top priority. Despite having a difficult 2023 season, he remains one of the top five-eighths in the game. The blue and gold must move to renegotiate his contract because he is currently on a deal that is estimated to be worth $900,000 each season and has options that extend until 2031.
It is obvious that the Eels need to take action to lock Brown down to a new contract given the dearth of capable five-eighths available on the market, which is made worse by Braydon Trindall’s re-signing with the Cronulla Sharks.
Next up comes Will Penisini, a brilliant young talent. Given the present open market, he will be irreplaceable as one of the competition’s top centres.
Parramatta will be uncertain about Matterson and Lane, so the team might be content to wait as the two forwards negotiate elsewhere. Youngster Saxon Pryke is the odd man out in this scenario and is probably going to just take his pick.
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