Dogs big guns set to walk
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Adrian Proszenko
February 4, 2007
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PARRAMATTA are set to offer Mark O'Meley $400,000 a year and fellow Bulldogs Hazem El Masri and Matt Utai are poised to follow him out the door in what looms as the biggest exodus of talent from Belmore since the Super League war.
O'Meley is off contract at the end of the season and is already one of the most in-demand players in the transfer market.
Five clubs have sounded out his manager, Wayne Beavis, after the Kangaroos prop rejected the Bulldogs' initial offer, believed to be $300,000.
The Eels are desperate to bolster their forward stocks after losing Michael Vella, Glenn Morrison and Paul Stringer last year and have made O'Meley's signature their top priority.
Beavis will not entertain offers from rival clubs while talks with the Bulldogs are continuing, but Belmore officials haven't the funds to match the big money on offer elsewhere.
They have known for at least a year that O'Meley expected to be looked after financially.
When asked about the Eels' interest, Beavis said: "I haven't had any formal discussions with Parramatta. I haven't talked to a coach or anything like that.
"I think it's fair to say that there are plenty of clubs [interested].
"If he makes the decision to leave Canterbury [rival clubs] will talk to him."
O'Meley had said he didn't want speculation about his future distracting him from his preparations for this season.
"[The Bulldogs] made an offer," he said. "We're just sitting back now.
"Over the next month or so I'll probably know more about what's going on.
"For me, my priority now is to get fit. It's five weeks till we play, so that's my main concern.
"If a good deal [from the Bulldogs] gets put up, I'll probably accept it. If not
we'll just have to worry about the season coming up."
The 25-year-old said he hoped a deal would be struck before the season kicks off next month.
"That is my goal, to have it done before round one, but that's getting closer and closer," he said.
"I'll sit at home and have a think about my approach and where I want to be later in my career."
O'Meley's likely departure is only the beginning of the bad news for Bulldogs fans. Prolific winger El Masri is also tipped to leave after he was offered a deal well below his market value.
The loss of El Masri would be a massive blow for the club, not only because of his prolific pointscoring, but also because of his status as one of the club's most marketable stars.
The devout Muslim is a favourite with the club's large Lebanese fan base and is one of the senior ambassadors for the game.
Sources close to El Masri said he was disappointed Bulldogs officials had blocked him from representing Lebanon at the 2008 World Cup, a move that may have implications in contract negotiations.
The Bulldogs have offered Kiwi international Utai a contract extension when his term expires at the end of the season but it is unlikely to be enough to retain him.
Stalwart hooker Corey Hughes is also on the outer at Belmore and will be cut at the end of the season.
If, as expected, all four leave the club it will be the biggest turnover in player talent since Dean Pay, Jarrod McCracken, Jason Smith and Jim Dymock left for Parramatta at the height of the Super League war at the end of 1995.
The only good news for Bulldogs fans is that superstar Sonny Bill Williams is close to agreeing to a three-year deal.
