“
Six months after Mitchell Moses was shown the door, the Parramatta Eels have tabled the halfback a three-year extension.
NRL.com can reveal the Eels this week put forward a contract to extend his tenure until the end of 2022, the same year Clint Gutherson's extension offer expires.
Moses's manager, Isaac Moses, hasn't accepted the deal - however he's been caught up dealing with the fallout from Israel Folau's controversial social media post last week.
It's an extraordinary turn of events considering the Eels were willing to release Moses last year following a horror campaign that culminated in the club collecting the wooden spoon.
Faced with the reality of having to find a new home, Moses returned to training with a renewed attitude and has recaptured the form that lifted him into contention for a State of Origin debut before last season.
Moses and Corey Norman, who has made a successful switch to St George Illawarra, have benefited from their break-up over the off-season - with the former enjoying the added responsibility of being Parramatta's chief playmaker.
Meanwhile, the Eels will meet Gutherson’s manager Sam Ayoub before the Easter Monday clash against the Wests Tigers to discuss the future of their skipper.
Gutherson tight-lipped on Eels future
The club doesn’t want to lose him, but a game of chicken is playing out between Parramatta and Gutherson’s manager.
The Eels, who before Christmas offered the fullback a three-year deal worth $1.5 million, last week revised that offer and tabled an upgraded three-year $1.9 million contract.
But Ayoub rejected that offer and is still holding out hope of securing a four-year deal worth close to $2.8 million, despite originally asking for a four-year $3.3 million deal.
Perhaps under previous administrations the club would have folded, but chairman Sean McElduff is a renowned negotiator having overseen multimillion-dollar deals during his time at Westpac.
Under the club’s new recruitment and retention policy, all members of the committee - which includes McElduff, CEO Bernie Gurr, coach Brad Arthur, general manager Mark O’Neill and recruitment manager Peter Sharp - must agree.
The Eels realise they run the risk of losing Gutherson to rival clubs and it’s something they don’t want to occur, but won’t be railroaded into paying what they deem to be overs.
The danger for Gutherson is he is a fan favourite. He is by far the most popular player with Blue & Gold supporters.
While his manager is entitled to act in his best interests and get him more money, there’s a fear the squabble over $60-70,000 a season could dent the skipper's reputation.
Inside the Bankwest coach’s box with Brad Arthur
South Sydney have indicated they won't be in a position to chase Gutherson, while Manly have some salary cap limitations that could hamper any attempts to lure him back to the northern beaches.
The Cowboys are another team on the lookout for a fullback, but they are still holding out a glimmer of hope of New York Jets recruit Valentine Holmes returning to the NRL.
Plus, they would have to pay a lot more than the Eels are willing to offer to convince him to pack up and start fresh in a new city.”
https://www.nrl.com/news/2019/04/18/eels-put-three-year-contract-extension-on-table-for-moses/
