FIRST Nathan Peats was told to leave Parramatta. Now his fearless replacement Isaac De Gois has been all but told to pack his bags as well.
That is the latest to come out of the troubled club with De Gois admitting that he has been basically left with no option but to find a new home for 2017.
While the 31-year-old NRL veteran has been offered a deal for next year, The Saturday Telegraph understands it is only worth about $100,000, almost half of what De Gois is currently on.
That would make the veteran of 200-plus NRL matches the lowest paid top line hooker in the game by a significant margin.
“I am really enjoying my footy here but it looks extremely unlikely that I’ll be here next year,” De Gois said.
“With respect to the club, the offer is very disappointing.”
Now in his third season at the Eels, De Gois said he didn’t want to leave and he hoped fans would understand why he has been left with little alternative.
“I understand how the cap works and I realise the club is having difficulties but I hope the supporters understand I need to look after my family,” he added.
De Gois’s likely departure will leave Parramatta with Kaysa Pritchard and Cameron King as their remaining hooking options.
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While De Gois said he doesn’t yet have a club to go to, he would be willing to head overseas if it meant extending his career.
“I’ve instructed my manager to consider all options going forward, including the English Super League,” he said.
If he does leave it would be another crushing blow for Eels fans who started the year with so much hope for their team only to see the season crumble because of the salary cap squeeze.
With Kieran Foran gone for the season due to injury and Corey Norman embroiled in a drugs investigation, the Eels still could lose Michael Gordon who has been linked to a possible mid-season move to the Roosters.
De Gois will leave the Eels at the end of the season.
De Gois will leave the Eels at the end of the season.Source:Getty Images
And there is also some mail young lock Tepai Moeroa is being chased by rivals clubs.
Meanwhile, the NRL yesterday gave Parramatta another week to respond to their show cause notice in relation to the salary cap dramas that look certain to cost the club 12 competition points.
The Eels have the bye this weekend with their next game against the Titans’ next Saturday when Peats will go up against his former club for the first time.
Peats recently left no doubt he was upset at being forced out of Parramatta, and it wasn’t just the people on the board who “let me down there”.
