Rival clubs were circling Kieran Foran last night as a dispute over dual contracts and damages ­clauses threatened to undermine the Manly megastars move to Parramatta next season.
Foran agreed to a four-year mega-deal with the Eels earlier this year but that agreement was thrown into chaos when the NRL raised concerns over aspects of the contract, most notably the existence of a damages clause which would have resulted in Foran receiving a massive payout should he walk out on the club due to management upheaval.
The damages clause was believed to come into effect once Foran joined the club in November this year and could have resulted in him receiving $625,000 his wage to be included under the salary cap next season excluding third party deals.
Other sources suggested the payout figure was in excess of $1 million. Regardless, senior Parramatta officials, including head of football operations Daniel Anderson, who stepped into the breach when chief executive Scott Seward resigned last week, claimed they were unaware of the clause and asked the NRL not to register Forans contract after it was brought to their attention.
While the Eels were pointing the finger in the direction of Seward, it is understood he is of the belief that the board was fully informed of the contractual terms. There were further suggestions that two contracts were formalised in relation to Foran, the first containing the contentious damages clause and the second without it.
Again, it is understood Seward believes the board was aware of both contracts and the second was merely amended after an agreement was struck over the inclusion of the damages clause.
Parramatta convened a board meeting last night to discuss the Foran situation amid claims they had significantly reduced their offer to the New Zealand international because potential third party deals had fallen over.
The Foran imbroglio wasnt the only matter on the boards mind, with the winds of change at the club resulting in the decision to part ways with football manager Jason Irvine.
The Eels have been working with the NRL and Kieran Forans management on two clauses within his contract that were previously undisclosed to the board and senior football management, the Eels said in a statement.
The discussions have been productive and it is the clubs understanding that issues surrounding these clauses can be resolved.
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