Parramatta Eels prepared to let Kieran Foran walk to loosen grip of Brad Arthur
Parramatta's bid to re-negotiate key terms of Kieran Foran's contract signals the beginning of the end for Eels coach Brad Arthur.
As revealed by Fairfax Media in May, Foran has a clause in his four year, $4.8m contract with Parramatta enabling him to walk away at any time if there was "political instability" at the club, including a change of management or coach.
The deal was negotiated by former chief executive Scott Seward, who formally resigned last week, and Arthur.
Advertisement
However, the Eels board are unhappy that Foran was allowed to have the get-out clause inserted in the contract as it means that they would risk losing the New Zealand Test star if Arthur becomes the club's fourth coaching casualty since 2010.
Making it even more prohibitive to sack Arthur is a second clause Parramatta general manager of football Daniel Anderson is also negotiating to remove from Foran's contract which states that the Eels would be liable for damages - believed to be worth up to one year's salary - if such a scenario eventuated.
After recently incurring a $525,000 fine for a raft of salary cap breaches last season, a pay-out of that size would make it impossible for the club to avoid another hefty penalty from the NRL.
Fairfax Media has been told that unease with the clauses was the reason the Eels had not offered Seward a new contract before his sudden resignation, although other sources say that no concerns were expressed to him or Arthur at the time the deal with Foran was done.
With the NRL team in danger of a third wooden spoon in four years, there are now also doubts about Arthur's future at Parramatta and it is understood that Anderson is preparing to take over in a move that would mark a return to the role he previously held in 2009 and 2010.
It is believed that Anderson has a contract with Parramatta until 2018.
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...osen-grip-of-brad-arthur-20150622-ghu7uu.html
