Rumours and Stuff

[Gazzamatta]

We got it Gronky ffs.

 

[Gronk]

FFS

 

[Matty Bhoy]

Why are we making three offers ffs!

 

[Pazza]

I guess they looking to spend that Jenko / Fergo money

 

[Incorrect]

Why are we making three offers ffs!

Like Beetlejuice... Apparently if you say it 3 times Hooper will go away... We can only hope....

 

[eels_fan]

Parramatta star Nathan Brown has voiced a desire to recommit to the Eels with contract talks with Manly drying up for the Origin star.

Brown was in talks recently about a move to Brookvale but the requested money was said to be too high for Manly.

Brown is now forced to awkwardly go back to the negotiating table with his club, voicing his desire to stay in a show of faith.

“These things happen in your career, and you’ve just got to take it on board. It’s part of the game now everyone gets off-contract,” Brown said about his talks with Manly after the Eels’ 46-6 win against the Broncos.

“I would love to stay at Parra.”

Also off-contract is Mitchell Moses, who has told his management he has no desire to join the halves’ market chaos.

Moses has an option in his contract for 2022 at the Eels but has been linked to a potential move to the Broncos with the club likely to lose half Tom Dearden to North Queensland.

Sources close to the contract negotiations have told the Herald and the Age that Dearden has agreed to a three-year contract but is yet to put pen to paper.

On Wednesday, Moses said that while his management is in discussions with other clubs he has made clear his desire is to remain at the Eels.

“I’d love to stay at the Eels,” the off-contract star said. “That’s my main thing, I’ve made that clear to them but that’s up to them now if they want to keep me.”

Moses said the current Eels spine had “tossed around” the idea of all remaining at the club long-term for their best chances at breaking the club’s 35-year premiership drought. Despite the instructions to his management, Moses said he couldn’t make the promise to his teammates.

“The ultimate goal is to get a premiership, but everyone is different,” he said. “Everyone is in a different situation and different ages, all those types of things.

“The way footy is at the moment everyone looks after themselves and that’s how it is.“

The halves whirlwind was sparked after Chad Townsend announced he was signing a three-year deal to move from the Sharks to North Queensland in 2022. The move is likely to cause a domino effect with Adam Reynolds now linked to a move to the Sharks or the Eels.

Reynolds has already rejected an offer from the Cowboys who were willing to provide more than the one-year contract the Rabbitohs have tabled.

Alongside Moses, Reynolds and Dearden, other high-profile halves such as Shaun Johnson, Anthony Milford, Sam Walker, Kieran Foran, Corey Norman and Ash Taylor are also off-contract.

Eels star Reed Mahoney has spoken about the importance of keeping Moses at the club and how effective having a consistent spine can be for a squad.

“Keeping the spine together is really good and can be positive in the future,” Mahoney said. “He’s a leader in our team and he gets us around the park.”


Parramatta coach Brad Arthur will have a selection dilemma on his hands with Ryan Matterson likely returning to the game this week.

Matterson’s return will push Isaiah Papali’i who has proved himself as one of the best buys of the season through starting in the second rower’s place.

“I’ll do whatever the team needs,” Papali’i said about Matterson’s return.

“BA [Brad Arthur] is quite honest and every week is a new week so we will probably have to look at it again next week and see if he’s coming back.”

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/br...-faces-selection-dilemma-20210421-p57l7t.html

 

[Soren Lorenson]

I like the look of that newspaper article.

 

[Soren Lorenson]

On Staggs, a massive offer for him would be very uncharacteristic of our recent recruitment strategy. I think it's bullshit.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Depends what they mean by massive. He is definitely worth a lot of money, more than any of our current outside backs. Could we get him involved enough to justify more than $600k? No matter how good they are centres and wingers just aren't worth that much. We also have the following players off contract for 2022, and some will need upgrades:

Nrown
Cartwright
Ferguson
Hipgrave (club option for 2022)
Hollis
Hughes
Mennings (player option for 2022)
Lussick
Matterson (player option for 2022)
Moses (player option for 2022)
Oldfield
Opacic
Rankin
Roache
Smith
Stone

The is also the non-zero risk of Staggs getting long-term suspended or jailed.

 

[Soren Lorenson]

Depends what they mean by massive. He is definitely worth a lot of money, more than any of our current outside backs. Could we get him involved enough to justify more than $600k? No matter how good they are centres and wingers just aren't worth that much. We also have the following players off contract for 2022, and some will need upgrades:

Nrown
Cartwright
Ferguson
Hipgrave (club option for 2022)
Hollis
Hughes
Mennings (player option for 2022)
Lussick
Matterson (player option for 2022)
Moses (player option for 2022)
Oldfield
Opacic
Rankin
Roache
Smith
Stone

The is also the non-zero risk of Staggs getting long-term suspended or jailed.

Considering Gutho is supposedly on around 700k, 500k would be too much for our team I would say. We seem to be a better team with a good cheaper defensive centre pair than expensive attack oriented centres. We have enough strike in our second row, halves and wings.

 

[Pazza]

i think this team needs to be aggressive if theyre going to break the drought.

A guy like Staggs would definitely help.

 

[Eelementary]

i think this team needs to be aggressive if theyre going to break the drought.

A guy like Staggs would definitely help.

Staggs is a great attacking weapon, but he makes Waqa Blake look like Matt Cooper, and Michael Jennings', lovechild in defence, tbh...

 

[eels_fan]

I won’t post it 3 times...

But Hooper just now on Big League Wrap just doubled down saying there is a very strong chance/likelihood Staggs signs with Parra.

 

[strider]

I won’t post it 3 times...

But Hooper just now on Big League Wrap just doubled down saying there is a very strong chance/likelihood Staggs signs with Parra.

Yeah but they were in the middle of shit bagging the Broncos, so i think it was possibly just the usual journo exageration to make something seem a big deal

 

[Glenneel]

Matterson’s return will push Isaiah Papali’i who has proved himself as one of the best buys of the season through starting in the second rower’s place.

“I’ll do whatever the team needs,” Papali’i said about Matterson’s return.

“BA [Brad Arthur] is quite honest and every week is a new week so we will probably have to look at it again next week and see if he’s coming back.”

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/br...-faces-selection-dilemma-20210421-p57l7t.html

Papa is going so well I'd leave him in team. If I was BA I'd have starting edge forwards of Papa and Matto with Lane going to bench to play edge or middle. Bench of Kaufusi, Lane, Cartwright and Emu or utility.

 

[Chipmunk]

The money being bandied around for Staggs ($800k) is a lot of money for a player in a position where you don't seem to need to pay players a lot of money.

At the Roosters, I'd be surprised if both Manu and Morris combined would be on the amount talked about Staggs is looking for.

I suspect if you combined the salaries of every player the Storm has capable of playing in the Centres in their squad (there is probably five or six) it wouldn't be equal to the money Staggs is supposedly being offered.

I can't see any of other top sides, Panthers (Crichton, Naden, Momirovski, even Burton), Souths (Graham, Gagai, Burns), or Raiders (Croker, Scott and Kris) paying their centre options combined $800k.

Up until last season, with Jenko and Blake, I'd say we were the only Top 6 side that spent a considerable amount of money on two Centres.

With a middle forward and a guy on not much more than minimum wage at the moment, we're still doing better than holding our own in the position.

Unless we're looking to punt Moses and play Staggs at 6, I think we're wasting our money and will f**k the balance of our side.

 

[Matty Bhoy]

For what it’s worth, it’s been in the paper up here that the Broncos intend to play him at Five-eighth.

 

[Angry_eel]

So with Dearden gone to Cows, is Moses a goner to the Drongos?

 

[Cloeel]

So with Dearden gone to Cows, is Moses a goner to the Drongos?

Watch the 1.1mill dollar PA offer come through in the next week.

Interesting times.

 

[Chipmunk]

Moses is still a downhill skier. He will just embarrass himself (somewhat like Milford) in that Broncos team.

I think he knows this himself.

If Moses is going to leave Parra, the only place I can see him going is Souths (if Reynolds leaves).