Salary cap woes put Corey Norman’s contract talks with parramatta on hold
March 22, 2016 2:05pm
Paul CrawleyThe Daily Telegraph
Subscriber Exclusive Icon
Play
0:00
/
0:00
Fullscreen
Mute
'Eels not dreaming top 4 yet'
The salary cap squeeze at Parramatta has put the future of star playmaker Corey Norman on hold.
And the chances of the club keeping him could eventually hinge on Anthony Watmough’s desire to play on.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal that despite Norman’s super start to the season, so far the Eels haven’t made it to first base in negotiations with the star five eighth’s management to lock Norman up for next year and beyond.
Parramatta have not progressed contract players with Norman, despite the player’s desire.
It’s a stark contrast to the urgency the Eels showed when chasing after Kieran Foran when he was off contract at Manly.
Foran was first linked to the Eels way back in November 2014, and by this time last March Foran’s four-year deal worth a reported $1.2 million a season had been officially confirmed.
At the time Eels chairman Steve Sharp said the signing was “a great endorsement for the club’s positive transformation over the last two years.”
Must Read
af54bd84-ef38-11e5-aed8-7c833cc31e8c - Thumbnail (100x75)
Kent: Semi call would totally change Origin
10b20a8a-ef2c-11e5-89de-39db5c636927 - Thumbnail (100x75)
Munster backs up after Gavet tackle
811f2cc2-ef1c-11e5-aed8-7c833cc31e8c - Thumbnail (100x75)
Dugan hits back at Twitter outrage
9c484830-efd5-11e5-a785-7659dfea0c8f - Thumbnail (100x75)
Could Cowboys lose key player?
41613880-ef28-11e5-aed8-7c833cc31e8c - Thumbnail (100x75)
Don’t give up on Roberts: Pearl plea
But in Norman’s case it is more a ‘let’s wait and see’ approach with no offer even tabled at this point.
While Parramatta’s management currently have their hands full over the NRL’s investigation into allegations of questionable third-party deals, there is no question coach Brad Arthur wants to keep Norman at the club — and Norman himself has previously indicated his desire to stay.
After being named player of the tournament at the Auckland Nines, Norman instructed his management that he did not want to even talk to rival clubs.
Parramatta's Corey Norman attempts to bust the tackle of Bulldog Josh Jackson and Josh Reynolds. Picture: Gregg Porteous
“My manager is talking to the club now,’’ Norman said in February.
“It’s up to me to play some footy early in the season and we’ll see what happens. I’m pretty happy at Parramatta.’’
But since then negotiations have not moved forward.
There is no question the Eels face a delicate balancing act given Norman’s likely price tag of an estimated $700,000 a year, and the fact that there is still no clear indication on when or if Watmough will return from his chronic knee injury.
Watmough still has two seasons to run on his contract at Parra beyond this year, with his contract for 2017 and 2018 estimated to be worth about $750,000.
Play
0:00
/
0:00
Fullscreen
Mute
Keary talks other clubs
The former NSW and Kangaroos enforcer said that he “had *unfinished business’’ when the talk of his possible retirement was first mentioned in February, and Watmough said he was “planning to return in a couple of weeks’’.
But heading into round four, the 32-year-old remains on restricted training duties with his return date still listed as “indefinite”.
Parramatta would not comment on Norman’s situation, or Watmough’s future, when contacted on Monday. But it is known that the club want to give Watmough the respect he has earned over 300-plus career games to make a final decision on his playing future.
Should Watmough’s knee not respond to treatment and he’s forced to retire, the 32-year-old is still entitled to a full payout — but importantly that money would not go on the Eels’ salary cap going forward.
But if Norman continues his outstanding early season form, you’d imagine it won’t be long before rivals start showing interest to see if they can entice him away from the Eels.
