Dylan Brown takes up $14 million, 10-year Knights deal as Eels turn to a replacement
The Eels were told on Monday afternoon that their five-eighth would be departing the club at the end of the season, opting against triggering a lucrative option in his deal at Parramatta.
Instead, Brown will join the Knights on a contract worth around $14 million over 10 years. Brown, 24, will be 35 when he comes off contract.
His deal at the Eels is currently worth around $1.1 million a season, but the huge financial investment from the Knights proved too difficult to resist.
Under NRL rules, the Eels have 10 days to convince Brown to back out of the Newcastle deal now the offer has been submitted to the NRL.
The New Zealand international’s management had sought a bump up in Brown’s deal in return for removing the player options in his contract, but the Eels weren’t prepared to pay more than his current seven-figure salary.
Parramatta will now be armed with more than
$1 million to hit the player market for an elite half themselves.
The two best and most logical five-eighth replacements for Brown are
Lachlan Galvin and Tyran Wishart, whose deals with the Wests Tigers and Melbourne Storm respectively expire at the end of 2026.
But both clubs were adamant they would not be releasing their players early.
Galvin spent time at the Eels, and is managed by the same agent who looks after halfback and captain Mitchell Moses.
It has not been forgotten that
Galvin was also cut loose by Parramatta, who deemed him too small just a few years ago. The 19-year-old has held fire on talks around a long-term extension with the Tigers this year but is happy with the direction of the club alongside new halves partner Jarome Luai.
Wishart grew up in Gerringong, the same south coast town as Eels legend Mick Cronin, and is stranded behind Cameron Munster at the Storm.
“We’d love to keep Tyran long-term,” Storm chairman Matt Tripp said on Monday night. “We understand we could have a fight on our hands to do so, but we’ll do all we can to keep him as a Storm player — he’s an incredibly valuable player to us, and not one we want to lose.”
Wishart and Galvin are seen as future NSW Origin players, and will command good money when they negotiate their next deals.
Concerns have been raised about the impact of the deal on the Knights’ salary cap given Ponga and Brown will take up around $2.7-2.8 million a year – roughly 23 per cent of a club’s allocated spending on its roster.
Newcastle are in the process of turning over several large contracts, however, with hooker Jayden Brailey (earning above $600,000 this season) deep in negotiations with Canberra for 2026.
Prop Leo Thompson is joining Canterbury after knocking back a Knights extension worth $800,000 and halfback Jackson Hastings won’t be re-signed beyond this year.
The Parramatta playmaker has informed teammates he will exit the club take up a 10-year deal to join Newcastle from next year.
www.smh.com.au
