Rumours and Stuff

[Poupou Escobar]

While the club has to keep the money for the option to the side while the player explores the market and comes back to the club with a decision.

It's Oct 1, has any player with an option for 2026 taken it up yet?

They will be offering him an extension anyway, so that money is off the table for external signings. This is why they only offer PO/MO for players they expect to want to keep.

If it turns out they don’t want to keep the player and he takes up the option, that’s the player’s right. That’s the benefit we agreed to during negotiations for that contract. We can’t whinge that there’s an option in the player’s favour after we’ve received the benefit of selling it to him. It would be like the insurance company complaining when you make a claim.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Not at the frequency that the Eels do.

The Tigers have even fewer and they ran last. Again.

 

[hindy111]

Agree, our merch has looked puss the last few years. I got a polo from 2017 that looks great and somehow I try and squeeze myself into it. It’s not me it’s shrunk i tell ya!!

Those protein shakes and bench press have bulked you up. You're basically iron man

 

[Poupou Escobar]

No but it is his fault that they have been in 6 Grand finals since.

They won their first premiership in their second year, without Bellamy. Smith, Slater and Cronk were already at the club when Bellamy arrived. Clubs win premierships, not coaches.

 

[hindy111]

I just don't like the green.

I actually think a navy blue with gold and white trim and logos makes for an awesome polo

I love the green.

 

[King-Gutho94]

We only have 3 PO (Matterson, Brown and Will) and 2 MO (Lane / Sivo) next year.

I get the argument against them, but I don't see them being a huge issue next year in roster management.

Sivo/Lane, it's up to us to let them go or not. Matterson is obviously going to stay.

Will/Drown who knows.

So really it's only Drown to decide, as there is a good chance we will probably try to negotiate a new deal with Will, thus get an early indication of his plans.

I wouldn't be rushing on Penisini.

I probably be reserving my judgement until round 12 anyway next year on him and see how fits in Ryles system and if there is improvements in parts of his game especially basic fundamentals.

Because his form this year was not horrendous but downright average and it was a lot of the basics that was poor making a lot of unforced errors in some moments crucial times.

I also think we have overrated his defence a touch i would like to see 5-10% improvement on decision making and just defensive contact as well.

 

[hindy111]

Hearing Munster is on our shopping list and wants to come But we are a it hamstrung due to POs tho
‍

 

[Poupou Escobar]

When the Storm have 7 or 8 players on them and both their halves at the same time get back to me.

The Storm have a history of using other advantages outside the cap. At least player options won’t get us busted for cheating.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Everyone is getting upset about player options but really, what do they mean?

At the moment, Drown has a contract for 2025 and without the option he would be able to start negotiations with us or any one else in a month's time (for 2026+). The PO might extend that for a few more months and reduce our time to replace him if he does go elsewhere, but without it, he would be negotiating in a month without having had any time under Ryles. Not a good scenario for us to be in.

Moses is under contract until the end of 2026 and without the PO would be free to negotiate in Nov next year. For me, he is signed until 2026 and not beyond and that's how I look at.

Both players have some built-in protection if they want to invoke it (at a cost) but is it really that negative or just a way to put shit on the club and MON?

I’ll be surprised if any of them activate their options. Going to market should be more lucrative, with the option just an emergency fallback plan.

And if the player doesn’t activate the option we’ve benefited for no actual cost.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Some of them cop a bit too much flak as well (not Sticky, he can get farked).

All I’m saying is that if people are allowed to put shit on someone, then others are allowed to defend them without being accused of trolling.

If you create an argument then you are open to an opposing argument - something which you would think a certain legal expert on here would understand.

Yep. I never mention Arthur unless some other merkin mentions him first. Maybe they’re the trolls?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I know you are being a smart arsehole, but tell me again how they hurt us?

A better question is why any club would agree to them if they are so harmful. Putting their blue and gold goggles aside, why did these other clubs agree to them? Where’s the benefit? If merkins can’t honestly consider that question they are just trolls desperate to put shit on our club.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Even Federer, Nadal and Djokovic lost finals to players that were inferior to them. Upsets happen in sports. That should always be our goal. I still consider it a missed opportunity.

I’m sure upsets are every underdog’s goal. But they depend on the favourite shitting the bed.

Incidentally, we were underdogs in Townsville the week before the grand final.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

Seriously, I think a troll is someone who deliberately takes the contrarian view time and time again just for the sake of argument and antagonising people - which he himself has admitted under his guise of "educating dumb bogan Parra fans".

This is what Pou has done constantly - to the point where it diminishes the occasions when he has a justifiable and bona fide contrary view.

If the majority of Parramatta Eels administrators over the years have been stupid, incompetent or wrong, doesn’t it stand to reason that the same could be true of our fans?

 

[Poupou Escobar]

I just don't like the green.

I actually think a navy blue with gold and white trim and logos makes for an awesome polo

I like the green.

 

[Poupou Escobar]

This is what I was about to point out in answer to your earlier post "how do PO's hurt us?".

Hypothetically - Let's say come December this year, the Storm and Cameron Munster come to an agreement that he can negotiate with anyone for 2026. Ryles tells MON to do whatever it takes to get him to Parra.... But MON turns around and says we've got Drown's PO to think about and he has got until July 2025 (for arguments sake) to activate it... The club is basically hamstrung from being able to negotiate with a marquee player because Drown has a PO which nobody knows will be activated. Whereas if he was just "off contract" at the end of 2025, we'd know where we stand and could cease any contract extension talks with Drown and go hard for Munster.

Then in March 2025, Munster announces he has signed with the Broncos for 2026 because Parra couldn't make a concrete offer.... In July 2025, Drown decides he won't be taking up his PO and has instead agreed to terms for 2026 -2030 with the Warriors. Instead, Parra end up signing Toby Sexton and Jackson Hastings with the space freed up in the cap in the hope that one of them can finally nail down a halves spot

That scenario might be the "only difference" as you term it if the PO expires later in the year... But it's a pretty f**king big difference with potential to completely scupper your recruitment plans and goals.

In saying all of that - there seems to be some black magic involved behind the scenes with PO's and no doubt I've missed something in the hypothetical above and I'm way off...

There is definitely a risk to the club with a PO, in line with a benefit to the player. This is considered during negotiations. It’s not like the club and players are unaware of what the PO (or CO) means and what it’s worth to the two parties. So an option (PO/CO) would only occur when both parties agree on its value, and this would impact the remuneration (under the cap) paid to the player by the club.

 

[Legal Eel]

If the majority of Parramatta Eels administrators over the years have been stupid, incompetent or wrong, doesn’t it stand to reason that the same could be true of our fans?

yes but they are exclusive outcomes.

Where you land depends if you believe that decades of failure are due to ``insightful, competent and prescient" administration and coaching.

 

[T.S Quint]

Even Federer, Nadal and Djokovic lost finals to players that were inferior to them. Upsets happen in sports. That should always be our goal. I still consider it a missed opportunity.

It definitely was a missed opportunity, but not likely one we could have changed considering the way Penrith played that day.
Upsets do happen, of course. Cronulla beat Melbourne in a GF. But how often does it happen in such a big game?
Looking back over the last 15 years or so, not many. Especially when one team is such heavy favourites.

We were unlucky that the Panthers played their best. Could we have played better? Sure, but would it have changed the final result? I don't think so unless we played so freaking well that the Panthers completely capitulated, which is unlikely.

I hope we become a better team and finally become that team that if we play our best no one will beat us.
Or even one that just gets some more luck in the big games where we can force an upset.

 

[T.S Quint]

I wouldn't be rushing on Penisini.

I probably be reserving my judgement until round 12 anyway next year on him and see how fits in Ryles system and if there is improvements in parts of his game especially basic fundamentals.

Because his form this year was not horrendous but downright average and it was a lot of the basics that was poor making a lot of unforced errors in some moments crucial times.

I also think we have overrated his defence a touch i would like to see 5-10% improvement on decision making and just defensive contact as well.

He is fantastic with the ball in his hands. Very strong and breaks tackles.
Every other part of his game seems to be pretty average, especially his defence which at times can be downright terrible.
His decision-making on when to come up out of the line is poor, and even when he does make the correct decision he often misses the tackle, meaing his technique is not great.

I am hoping he can improve on this for next season. If he does he will be a very good player.

 

[lucablight]

I’m sure upsets are every underdog’s goal. But they depend on the favourite shitting the bed.

Incidentally, we were underdogs in Townsville the week before the grand final.

Let’s not kid ourselves. We played like trash. I was at the game and the atmosphere was non existent because we never got into the contest. I don’t know if it would have changed the result if we played our best but I can’t really say I’m satisfied with what transpired. It’s not like we gave it our all and there’s nothing more we could have done. There have been bigger upsets in finals than if we had won (admittedly not in NRL grand finals for a very long time).

We were only slight underdogs against the Cowboys. If the game had been played in Sydney we probably would have been favourites.

 

[Pazza]

They will be offering him an extension anyway, so that money is off the table for external signings. This is why they only offer PO/MO for players they expect to want to keep.

Players they want to keep? like Ryan Matterson and Mika Sivo? players who have been told theyre free to look elsewhere.

the difference is that there is no incentive for the player with the option to re sign before Nov 1, The option, the safety net enables the player to go onto the player market and test their value. That money could be taken off the table by the club to look for someone else, but the option locks the club into keeping that money aside. This off season the players have all the power, its going to affect our ability to re shape out roster.

We can’t whinge that there’s an option in the player’s favour after we’ve received the benefit of selling it to him.

what benefit did we get? you claim guys like Brown and Moses re signed for less due to these options? show me the evidence!! i dont see it in our squad. given we have more options than any other NRL team, there go according to your logic we must have saved a fair amount of money. i just done see it in our list, we got some good well paid players but we also got a lot of junk.

also i find curious, that since giving options to players is a great way of operating. why (according to NRL signings tracker) are there no options in the Lomax, Iongi, Simonson, Hopgood contracts???? it will be interesting to see the Hawkins contract.