PARRAMATTA will allow star recruit Gareth Hock to walk away from a new two-year deal and stay with his young family in England. The firebrand backrower only signed with the Eels in late April, but has had a change of heart about moving to Australia because of complicated circumstances.
Hock's partner is pregnant with the couple's first child and is adamant about remaining in the Old Dart.
According to well-placed sources in England, the Widnes Vikings forward has settled on a desire to remain by her side at the expense of his contract with Parramatta.
Hock is on loan from Wigan, who hold his parent UK Super League contract.
Although Parramatta have formally signed the 29-year-old, they are yet to pay Wigan the agreed transfer fee, believed to be around $250,000.
The Eels first became aware of Hock's misgivings two months ago, and have been in negotiations with Wigan about the transfer falling through.
Parramatta insiders have confirmed the club has accepted the reality of Hock not wanting to swap hemispheres without his family.
"It's pretty much a welfare issue," a source close to the negotiations said. "Parramatta understand Gareth's situation and can't see how it would be useful to stand in his way when he clearly wants to remain in England."
Hock is the second forward recruit to abandon Parramatta after agreeing to terms. In March, Raiders and Queensland Origin dynamo Josh Papalii backflipped on a four-year deal to stay in Canberra.
But Hock was committed to playing for the blue and golds until the dilemma intervened.
He was also close to signing with Parramatta at the end of last year before the deal fell through.
"I want to go and play against the best players in the world and challenge myself," Hock said in April. "It is something I have always wanted to do and I want to do it now before it's too late.
"Over there it is a tough game every week.
"I am looking forward to getting some go-forward into the Parramatta pack."
The development has no affect on Parramatta's second UK recruit, Wigan's Lee Mossop, who also signed a two-year deal.
But it will clear salary cap space to give the Eels more breathing room as they attempt to move on a dozen unwanted first graders.
Cheyse Blair and Reni Maitua are the only two who look to have secured homes for next year, with Manly and Canterbury respectively.
But the Eels have agreed to carry a significant portion of their salary in the 2014 cap.
That means Parramatta will have less space available to accommodate players, a salary cap crunch not unfamiliar to Wests Tigers and Penrith.
