Eels set course for Hayne Plane with Norman to ink new deal
Parramatta are expected to escalate their pursuit of Jarryd Hayne after it emerged Corey Norman was on the brink of agreeing to a new three-year contract with the Eels and rejecting an offer from St George Illawarra.
The five-eighth's pending retention shapes as a long-awaited dose of good news for a club that has lurched from crisis to crisis this season.
Norman has been in the thick of the controversy, banned last week for the rest of the season by the NRL after a series of indiscretions including a conviction for drug possession and his part in the filming and distribution of a sex tape.
On the field, however, the 25-year-old has been one of Parramatta's best players in the most difficult of campaigns, with a salary cap penalty hanging over the team's head in the early rounds of the season before their finals hopes were cruelled by this month's official stripping of 12 competition points.
Norman's call is set to be another blow for the Dragons, who have made him a three-year offer. Bidding to boost their halves they also lost out to the Sydney Roosters on South Sydney's Luke Keary and veteran Benji Marshall rejected a $300,000 one-year contract extension.
St George Illawarra are also waiting on an answer from hooker Mitch Rein on whether he will remain in red and white but with the club and player having not been on the same page in terms of remuneration they are also watching with interest the Robbie Farah scenario at Wests Tigers.
With Norman understood to be close to re-signing, the Eels' attention will swerve onto the next priority, the reacquisition of Hayne.
While Hayne has held talks with the Australian Rugby Union about a possible switch to the 15-man code, it is believed no other NRL club is genuinely in the hunt when it comes to chances of landing his signature.
Elsewhere at Parramatta the last of the so-called gang of five deregistered by the NRL have officially left the club after former chief executive John Boulous and football manager Daniel Anderson resigned.
Boulous and Anderson had remained on the Eels payroll until last week despite having been suspended from duties in early May, and then deregistered earlier this month but resigned late last week following the appointment of administrator Max Donnelly.
Boulous had left open the possibility of appealing the sanctions brought against him after seeking an extension that ran until Monday but the NRL had not received an application by close of business. None of the other five ousted officials appealed, while Donnelly is still to decide whether or not to withdraw the club's appeal.
