Lyon on offer to Saints
By James Hooper
August 14, 2004
RUNAWAY Parramatta centre Jamie Lyon is being shopped around to rival NRL clubs at an asking price of $300,000 a season with both St George Illawarra and Canberra approached to sign the former Test star.
Lyon has rotated through three managers five times in the course of the past month with his uncle and former Penrith player Mick Smith currently looking after his affairs.
Smith is understood to have sounded out Dragons coach Nathan Brown along with officials in Canberra about Lyon joining their organisations in 2005.
St George Illawarra are yet to officially approach Parramatta about the potential switch, which would come with a $150,000 release fee to be paid to the Eels, while the Raiders have been in contact with Denis Fitzgerald.
The amount of money Lyon is seeking combined with the release fee from Parramatta would mean his next club has to pay about $750,000 to get him on a two-year deal.
Canberra were understood to be interested when contacted by Smith a fortnight ago but have heard nothing since and are far from confident about luring Lyon.
Wests Tigers chief executive Steve Noyce has also confirmed the joint venture has registered interest in the one-time NSW Origin flyer, who is now playing in the Group 4 country rugby league competition with Wee Waa.
"I rang Parramatta and Denis Fitzgerald told me he was happy for us to talk to him but he's swapped managers a couple of times so he's been hard to get hold of," Noyce said.
"I don't think at this stage there will be anything happening."
Parramatta chief executive Fitzgerald also granted Penrith permission to talk with Lyon but has so far refused Manly the same privilege.
Sea Eagles executive director Paul Cummings contacted Fitzgerald over the matter last week but was told the northern peninsula club would not be allowed to open talks.
Lyon has changed managers on numerous occasions over the past month swapping from Allan Gainey to his uncle Smith, then to Wayne Beavis, back to Gainey and back to Smith again.
He was with Beavis for only three days.
Under the terms of his contract with Parramatta, Lyon has to give Gainey, his manager at the time he signed the deal, 6.5 per cent of any earnings he makes until the contract ends in October 2006.
This means Gainey is entitled to seek a portion of Lyon's earnings should he switch clubs even though he is no longer his manager.
Lyon walked out on Parramatta after just one game this season citing homesickness but a letter signed by him began to circulate shortly after claiming he left because he wasn't enjoying his football.
He returned to the Eels after a month to visit some teammates where half a dozen senior players from Parramatta asked him to explain what was going on in his head.
It is understood the players asked Lyon to look them in the eye and tell them his leaving Parramatta had nothing to do with coach Brian Smith.
