Eels repossess Nathan Peats’ club car to avoid NRL salary cap punishment
by: Exclusive Dean Ritchie
June 26, 2015 12:00AM
EMBATTLED Parramatta have been forced to repossess a club-approved car given to hooker Nathan Peats to avoid facing further salary cap punishment from the NRL.
In a horror week for the Eels, who are desperately trying to hold on to marquee signing Kieran Foran after bungling his contract, the blue and golds have now put Peats offside with this latest calamity.
Having already fined Parramatta $525,000 for significant salary cap breaches last month, the NRL have threatened to dock the Eels four premiership points for next season if they went over the cap again before 2016.
Under Peats’ deal, which former chief executive Scott Seward approved, the 24-year-old was promised a car supplied by the club.
Now Parramatta officials have been told the Holden Commodore SSV is not compliant with the club’s salary cap — and they’ve taken back the keys.
Peats is furious and demanded to keep the vehicle, but that would have ensured the Eels again breached the salary cap rules.
The Eels, who are conducting a thorough review of all contracts negotiated during Seward’s tenure, declined to comment on the issue.
Officials are working overtime to try and uncover any further small print and then hopefully find Peats another car.
Peats, whose management team is closely monitoring the situation, was given the car in lieu of a third-party agreement, but it wasn’t approved by the NRL.
The governing body has allowed Parramatta some time to fix the problem.
“The club would have been fined by the NRL had the car not been returned,” one source close to the drama said last night.
“The NRL has given the club a chance to fix the problem. Parramatta are trying to get to the bottom of it.
“Thankfully, the NRL has been quite understanding. The club is trying to find out what it can and are working through everything.
“The club hasn’t breached the cap but they would have had Peats kept the car.”
Parramatta are discovering several promises made to players weren’t officially documented or ratified.
Another source said: “Parramatta are systematically going through everything.”
