There is speculation British international
Gareth Hock will not be coming to the Eels next year despite signimg a two-year-deal.
"I've heard he's contacted [coach] Ricky Stuart, whether it's himself or through his manager, to say because of personal issues... his partner's given birth... he won't be coming," Matty Johns told The Grill Team today.
If correct, this would not be the first time Parramatta have had a player back out on a deal recently, with
Raiders forward Josh Papalii pulling out of a contract earlier this year.
"We got a text from Ken Edwards, the boss of Parramatta, that said Hock, as opposed to Josh Papali, hasn't got a parachute. Hock has signed a non-negotiable contract and as far as Parramatta is concerned Gareth Hock will be there in 2014 and 2015," said Matty.
Matty Johns said it will be interesting to see how far Parramatta will push.
"I think this is heading for a big stand-off. There's one thing for sure, you don't want a player travelling from the other side of the world who doesn't want to play for them.
"And on the other side of the coin it's a really bad look for Parramatta if they lose another player who pulls out," he said.
Fans of the Pommie back rower say his aggressive and confrontational style will be a massive gain for Eels coach Ricky Stuart.
Hock, 29, is currently playing for Widnes in the UK Super League. In 2008 he was named in the final 24-man England squad, but in 2009 he missed two years of footy after testing positive for cocaine and benzoylecgonine.
