Krisnan Inu to see out rest of contract at Parramatta
| August 07, 2009 12:00am
KRISNAN Inu will see out the remainder of his contract with Parramatta, thanks in part to Timana Tahu's shock return to the Eels.
Although his deal does not finish until the end of next year, Inu had been linked with a premature move to the Bulldogs or Tigers in 2010.
But Parramatta CEO Paul Osborne last night confirmed the talented three-quarter will now "definitely" stay at Parramatta, where he is likely to be among a group of Eels that Tahu has agreed to mentor as part of his three-year deal.
"There's been a fair bit of talk about Krisnan Inu going elsewhere next year, but I can tell you he's definitely staying," Osborne told the Daily Telegraph last night. "I've been talking to Krisnan regularly and he's very excited about Timana coming on board.
"They had a good combination back in 2007, and Krisnan is looking forward to starting that up again.
"We've also spoken to Timana about being a part of a leadership program with our young Aboriginal and Islander players.
"Timana is keen to mentor those kids as well as some NRL players and I've got no doubt Krisnan will be one player who will appreciate that."
Tahu, 28, will speak publicly for the first time about his decision to suddenly quit rugby at a press conference in Parramatta this morning.
He was due to sign with the Eels yesterday afternoon but a technical oversight with his ARU release prevented the deal going through.
Tahu's lawyers noticed that his Sydney rugby club side West Harbour had not signed the release papers, and Pirates officials weren't available until last night to rubber-stamp the documents.
Tahu won't officially be an Eel until November 1, but will join the club for casual duties over the next three months. He will also have a plate removed from his injured hand tomorrow and is expected to resume light training before the end of this month in anticipation of his NRL comeback next February.
Osborne met with Tahu's manager Warrick Wright late yesterday to discuss the delay, with pop idol Shannon Noll a surprise participant in the talks.
"Shannon is a Parramatta fan and we're getting him involved with our membership and marketing drive next year," Osborne said.
"He has also agreed to sing at matches and fan days. The reason he and Timana's manager came together is that they once recorded a song."
On a busy day at Grose St, Osborne also met with gun rookie Daniel Mortimer and his manager Steve Gillis. The 19-year-old half is also a Bulldogs target, but Osborne has made no secret about his desire to keep Mortimer at Parramatta.
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