The third strike on the Eels roster has been delivered today with mainstream media reporting the 2023 departure of Reed Mahoney to the Bulldogs.
Needless to say TCT has been bombarded by messages from heartbroken Parra supporters. We can only imagine how Eels reception fared today! Personally, my phone went into meltdown this afternoon and the sentiment has been the same.
How has this happened?
I won’t gloss over the anger of fellow Blue and Gold army members. They want good news and have been delivered almost the complete opposite.
My reaction is one of disappointment.
As supporters we have an emotional investment in our club. Everyone has favourite players, and the three departing Eels are high on my list.
I’ve watched Reed’s journey from a bench NYC player to the Maroons Origin squad. I wrote up his first preseason in my training reports. As a supporter, I have felt genuinely invested in him representing the club.
It’s no different with regard to my thoughts on Marata and Ice. Each of those blokes joined from the Warriors. Each reached another level as players at the Eels. I feel like I introduced both to the Blue and Gold Army via preseason training reports.
Therefore, to write about their future departures is not something that I’m pleased to do. Likewise, the club would hardly be welcoming the news.
However, in expressing my disappointment I won’t be ignoring the big picture.
The Eels have a salary cap policy that they are adhering to. Whether this is the correct path will be determined by the roster for 2023 and beyond.
That’s right, there’s still a 2022 season to play for, but before there’s any suggestion that I’m putting my head in the sand, let me return to this current loss of players.
I could contend that the club should have locked in contracts earlier in the season. Of course, there’s a naivety in suggesting that. Player agents won’t get the best deal without dipping their toe in the market’s waters. We witnessed how attempting to sign Gutho during the season worked out – it was all over the media and did little to help the King or his form.
It could be argued that money not spent on Marata and Ice could have been used towards retaining Reed. This would have meant deviating from the valuation that the Eels placed on him prior to negotiations. In that instance, it would mean making an exception for him in their policy.
Why have a policy that the club won’t be dissuaded from following?
Not too long ago the Eels travelled down the path of recruiting players on huge contracts. Sandow, Foran, Watmough, Hopoate head the list. Each offered something that the club was seeking, and like certain competitors are doing now, Parra paid massive overs.
It didn’t work out too well. In fact it was a complete disaster.
Reed Mahoney, sans headgear
During Bernie Gurr’s tenure, Parra made the decision to focus on being a development club. It was a smarter approach to managing the salary cap, and it meant investing in juniors and adding to the roster with players of potential or unrealised value.
Under this system there are no million dollar contracts. Apart from a couple of upper end outliers, the key players are kept within a range that allows the club to maintain a strong squad year on year.
The consequence is that the Eels face the problem of guiding and developing individuals like Reed, Marata and Isaiah to the point where their market value is astronomically higher than when they joined. And they become a target for clubs placed lower on the premiership table who will pay above that value as they look to bolster their rosters. Much like Parra did not too many seasons ago.
The Eels don’t face such dilemmas on their own. Since dealing with their own cap dramas, the Storm have had a policy of not matching huge offers from elsewhere. It’s seen them lose stars like Hynes, Finucane and Addo-Carr for 2022.
I won’t ignore the tactics of the Bulldogs. The numbers going into 2023 dictate that they will shed players before then. It’s a case of sign a roster now, make it fit later.
The system of signing contracts so far in advance, without needing to meet cap numbers yet, is a farce. But you can’t blame a club for taking advantage of that. It’s probably the topic of a future dedicated post.
Today isn’t a good news day, but 2023 is a long way from being written.
I’ve written about emerging players in the past.
Something tells me that I’ll be doing similar in the future.
Eels forever!
Sixties
I just don’t know what to say sixties. I have been waiting for your reaction to try and make sense of this. I really hope you are correct but this decision is going to haunt all of us for a long time. When did we last have a top class hooker that was in the mix for origin, add in his age and the year on year improvement……….this is nothing short of a disaster. Our spine was taking shape so well and it has now been ripped out. I could understand Marata going home and even us not matching the Tigers for Ice but I just can’t see this one in any sense. If the numbers reported are even roughly correct, surely we could have found a way to massage the cap out by 1% (approx 100K per year) to keep Reed. I hate to agree with the News Limited journos but I think we did insult him. This is Andrew Ryan all over again. BA must be in a fog at the moment with what has been done to him by management. They actually need to come out and address this to give some sort of explanation and I don’t mean one of those puffy emails that we all get from time to time. Stay strong fellow Blue and Gold Army members, this is going to hurt.
What can I say….nothing positive thatz for sure. Any hooking talent in our juniors?
I’m Sure BA will find a spot for his other Son
I think we picked up Brendon Hands. He has talent and also a 19yld from Newcast,e who is a no 9
Good player from all accounts but young and unknown
Brendan Hands just came from Panthers 30+ games in NSW CUP
I wouldn’t say their wages are astronomically high lol, in fact far from it. This is a disgraceful decision by the board. The fact they lowballed Mahoney in the first place shows the type of people negotiating these deals. Please don’t tell me these people have business accrumen. Where now do you go in the marketplace and find a top 4/5 Hooker for 450k? What a major stuff up!!!
And that’s the thing that really pusses me off, we didn’t even make Gus pay overs to get Reed. 600k a year is a steal.
Yep. A lot of disgruntled fans blaming Reed. The club is solely to blame. They threw the dice when they low balled Reed and paid the price.
Absolutely devastated… not sure what to think about this. Angry at the management for getting us in this position… angry at reed for not showing loyalty to a club that believed in him…Reed is definitely worth the 600k touted in the media… but is 600k too much for a system that requires the balls in Moses hand as quick as possible??? What’s the play here? Who is next up ? If we can’t get hold of a world class 9 I would be back on the phone to lussick for value for money.
Nice take Sixies but I can’t hide my disappointment in Reed. Let’s be honest we didn’t recruit Reed from the Dogs, the Dogs pissed him off thinking he wasn’t good enough and Parra gave him his break to make and develop into an NRL player. For him to now choose them over us is a disgrace! He wouldn’t be getting two cents a season if it wasn’t for Parra. I’ve lost all respect for the guy.
Couldn’t agree more. He has lost me. Greed Mahoney is nothing to me now. I’d ask him to leave tonight.
I agree wuth you Michael. All this jumping around n kissing the team emblem is a lot of horse sh#t from Reedy.
Very sad day. Reed perhaps a future captain or face of the club slips through our buttery fingers…it was the worst kept secret he was going to the dogs. The meal with that smug oaf Gus was just sealing the deal. Is this the Andrew Ryan re-make? I think this is possibly the biggest own goal since Bobcat.
Marata, Ice and now Reed all very likeable players and fan favorites are lost. Our retention is lacking credibility. Unless something changes and fast.
Also, something needs to be done at NRL about signing players for the year after…it shouldn’t happen until November 1 2022…Not November 2021. If all players ask for early release and player managers will agitate for that…the season 2022 will be derailed by distractions.
The NRL must fix up the signing mess as it is a laughing stock and puts season results under question.
I said when we re signed BA that it was a sign that this club doesn’t hold ambitious of winning a premiership we are happy to be a finals team who is there or there abouts.
Our recruitment retention team/ Management continues to alianate the fan base with strange recruitment strategies 2023 is a while away but with players exiting quickly it could be a long 22 season.
The flip side is this is a roster that hasn’t achieved anything 3 consecutive week 2 finals exits is not an achivement maybe a rejig of the roster is what we need and a bit of pain maybe needed.
Who knows who cares its Parramatta we are a club that is destined to dissapoint its in the Parramatta DNA.
Absolutely agree, I have said many times that our club has gone to crap. The re signing of Arthur was clear for all to see that we are going backwards. The board, the chairman, the coach and all involved need to be dismissed immediately. What a disgusting team of losers they are (the coach and co)
Sixties
Stop with your attempts at finding a positive I this crap. Admit Arthur is a failure and you’ll feel a lot better
Guys, its not all doom and gloom here. To me, how we come away from this depends on 2 things.
1. How BA, the coaches and the playing group respond to this for 2022. These guys now know this is the last season with this same group of players that have mostly been together for a while. Theres no building it to the future anymore. If they want to achieve something together they have one chance. Thats how we hope they look at it, the other way of course is they implode from within through all the outside noise and have already moved onto 2023. If thats the case Im not sure these are the types of guys we want to be building are future around anyway. It’s an opportunity to show the hunger and desire and credit to the club for the advancements they’ve made in their careers. If they’re strong enough to look at it that way we could give the 2022 comp a shake. Theres def a danger that some of these guys aren’t mentally slid enough and it can come undo, but really, if thats the case they’re not winning us a comp anyway.
2. What we do moving forward. We’ve now got cash to spend.In my opinion if we can find a competent 9 with a bit more of a running game, solid in defence , who doesn’t make mistakes or overplay his hand.. we can spend the money adding some strike to the side in other areas. Its not all doom and gloom here. The media are going to make us think it is. Reed has been a great developing player for us. He’s competitive , tenacious and has helped change the culture of the side. He’s also wore down a bit as the season has gone on in prior years and many would question whether playing him 80 a week was the best strategy. Lets not forget our best footy of this season was played in the part of the year he was out. Ray Stone isn’t the answer .. but Reed isn’t necessarily either. We have to be smart with what we do next, batten down the hatches and ignore the critcism that will come from the likes of Kent, Crawley, Hooper etc who have never put together a squad in their life. Hopefully the club can use this opportunity wisely and add some pieces that can help us stay up the top half of the comp and beyond.
Surely your joking right?
Can’t believe a joke of a club like the dogs will be years ahead of us. Terrible absolutely terrible
I mean , we’ve been knocked out the same stage 3 years in a row . Signing 20 of the same blokes every season is the comfortable option. To me it’s kind of being overblown.
We have an opportunity to spend some money going forward , something we haven’t had for a few years. We’ve got a chance to have a big chunk of scum bag Ayoubs influence away from the club … we just have to make good decisions going forward and we’ll be fine despite what the media will beat up .
Reasonable take James
Keep telling yourself that. Make yourself feel great. Doesn’t take away that we are going backwards .
The only solution for parra to build a successful modern club is to be Privatized
Perhaps we could merge with the Dogs Blue. Gold and White LOL.
Wrong blue
Except the clubs retention strategy says they’ll do the complete opposite, there is nothing in this that suggests we’ll make a play for Brandon Smith or any other blue chip recruit. No, this is all McElduff & Sarantinos who are tying BA’s hands here.
Well said. If we don’t replace Reed with either Brandon Smith, Korosau or Harry Grant we have essentially gone backwards.
Remember what our team was like when we didn’t have a decent 9? The Matt Keating era gave us back to back wooden spoons.
James your comments are very welcome amidst a sea of vitriol I’ve been reading this week.
I love it that our fellow supporters are extremely passionate about our club….but some of the rubbish I have read is beyond the pale.
No-one knows what has been and is going on behind the scenes….Sixties comments above pretty well sums up where we are going as a club.
Signing Michael Ennis who will mentor Reed’s replacement during 22 and going into 23 will go a long way repairing the wound that is causing unbelievable angst among our B and G army
Cheers Mr Strong. There’s certainly a flood of passion in the replies. When they stop to think logically about the money thrown at Reed they can’t support their stance. But I do support their emotion.
There are plenty of guys in our squad you could have moved on. Reed was NOT one of them!
Disappointed like all here. He has developed very well. Even with his injuries I would have liked to have held onto him. Stoney in the finals last year showed we have no depth in this position. Will be interesting to see what the club’s plans are.
We were three dummy halves down in that match Ten Year. Any club would have struggled to field a fourth string dummy half. We have 3-4 dummy halves for 2022. We don’t know about 2023 as yet.
People here are going on like we lost the next Cameron Smith. I get it we’ve watched him develop and improve over time and I think many of us thought he’d be an Eel for a very long time.
He still has areas of his game that are a long way off a 650k player in my opinion. When you take out every hooker from NSW or NZ , Harry Grant and Ben Hunt unavailable and he’s prob next in line for origin .. let’s not lose perspective.
No, he’s a too 5 dummy half along with Cook, Smith, Grant & Koriosau. Then there is a sizeable gap to the next tier. It’s the most important position on the field and we let an elite one walk.
I think that he is better than Grant
id be using cash only as a back up hooker this year. ray “Granite” stone gets the gig for mine.
The club has been doing a good job of late with recruitment and retention. With success comes these issues. Let’s trust that they are making the right decisions.
Many “fans” are carrying on social media like the “The sky is falling!”. Worrying about things that may or may not happen in two seasons time. They are probably also the fans complaining that we will never win a premiership with the current team/coach.
Let’s be happy that the club is sticking with its decisions and not paying more than they want to. They have a plan and lets give them a chance to see it works.
Easier for some people to be pessimistic…Players leaving opens the door for others.. The Agents work hard playing Clubs against one another. The Agents are on 6% if i remember correctly. The more they can get for their ‘kids’, the better off for them. They do not care about Clubs, the game, the supporters..All they care about is “Money in the Bank”…I, for one, am looking forward to 2022. Will worry about 2023 when it arrives..
The Indispensable Man
Saxon White Kessinger
Sometime when you’re feeling important;
Sometime when your ego’s in bloom
Sometime when you take it for granted
You’re the best qualified in the room,
Sometime when you feel that your going
Would leave an unfillable hole,
Just follow these simple instructions
And see how they humble your soul;
Take a bucket and fill it with water,
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out and the hole that’s remaining
Is a measure of how you’ll be missed.
You can splash all you wish when you enter,
You may stir up the water galore,
But stop and you’ll find that in no time
It looks quite the same as before.
The moral of this quaint example
Is do just the best that you can,
Be proud of yourself but remember,
There’s no indispensable man.
Rugby league should have told us that many times over the years. (Though Pricey retiring might remain the exception ).
Good point. We never had the players in the past that other clubs were willing to pay overs to get.
I am no different to sixties and no doubt any number of eels supporters who feel let down and angry as to what is going on or not with the retention dept of the club & the players to keep going forward.
The loss of 3 of our key players ATM is not good in any way one looks at it, thing is that of the 3, Marata can hold his head high as he wanted back to his family ties in NZ, as for Ice and Reed, they become a different story, and both at young ages are wanting to set themselves for the future, but the club made a call on the amount and had to stick with it no matter what our trhoughts are on it.
There is still one of the primary players to announce his future and that is Jnr, I hope we don’t lose him to one of the clubs that have full pockets to sign whoever they want, he has said he wants to stay with the eels, but same with 2 of the others, not sure where he stands atm but again my hope is that he stays.
I had a look at the players off contract list for end of 2022, discounting 2 of those who are leaving, there are 14 players who could mbe out of the club if they chose to leave or the club made decisions to let som go. That number of players all coming off contract at the same time, is IMHO a poor read as far as team management overall. It is pretty much 4 players short of making a full run on team, and we do have enough based on those figures to field a team that has good players contracted to it.
For me I believe the club execs in charge of the player recruitment & retention should have a very serious look at the way the players have been treated and they certainly need some change in policy and understanding of how to build and keep a winning culture with the club and team, I never want to see the eels of old take over the club that has been on an upward path, where to then from hear?
Colin, that isn’t my take. I’ll make my assessment of whether we need to change our salary cap policy when I see our roster going into 2023. If there have been issues with the negotiation process itself, then we do need to fix them. That’s something for the club to decide.
But in terms of the amounts reported, I have no issue with the Eels assessment.
Players will definitely enjoy having September off. In the mean time, enjoy your dreamland theories
Appreciate your thoughts, and having watched what has gone on over many a year with the eels & like you have seen the good and bad, and other areas in between.
You expressed your dissapointment in the lead article and nothing can be taken away from it and I totally agree with it. One thing is that I do not disagree with what you have said and for me, the whole issue with so called player managers and the way they handle resignings is to say the least very unprofessional to the point of not guiding the players when the vital area of re-signing for the future.
The club tours and feeds are pathetic to say the least especially for young players, what was fed to Reed was not what was on the plates with chopsticks but it was what he was fed by high profile pro’s that have had years in the business of turning over their own specilaties of hoodwink pie along with airing their version of what is said to be truth, and mostly far from it.
Problem with free feads and goble de gook is that it lasts only as long as the pen comes out.
Hi sixties,
I have waited for this write up to say something. I am so disappointed for the fans. What I am about to write many will probably disagree with, especially my views on Reed and I respect that, but today’s news is not a good day for this club.
I don’t know if I am more disappointed in Mark O’Neill and the way he is overseeing recruitment and retention or Reed. Let’s just say there is enough disappointment to go around.
In the past two seasons we have run the risk of having only one dummy halve in the squad (in 2020) which only did not hurt us because COVID shut down the comp and last season no depth at all in the centres that meant as soon as Blake got injured we had to play Marata there. Ironically this exposed Marata to the general NRL which no doubt hurt our chances to keep him. We were saved later in the year because young Will stepped up and excelled well before his time. It is O’Neils job to have balance across the squad and keep the nucleus of the team together. Rightly or wrongly he must be judged on that. The combined departure of Reed, Marata and Papali’i is a failure and if we also happen to not get juniors signature and or keep Dylan then in my eyes he should not be retained just as he has failed to retain some of our best.
With regards to Reed, if I saw Papali’i or Marata I would shake their hands and say good luck. I will cheer loudly for them next year and will watch them in 23 and really hope they do well. With Reed we gave him a chance when the Dogs discarded him, yet back he goes to the club which almost ruined his career before it started. I watched him in his first two seasons in top grade get run over on the line for tries but cheered and defended him because he loved our club, his family were passionate blue and gold like us and he seemed so invested. I supported financially the charities he is connected with etc in part because I wanted to support Reed and was so impressed with how well he represented the club and its fans. I can’t help but think it was all one big farce- not because he is leaving but the way it has come about. Anyone who loved this club and respected its fans, as he has built his image on, would not allow themselves to be pictured having a meal in the Dogs Leagues Club two weeks ago. He is not a kid, he knew full well that a photo would be taken, he is not that dumb- he is sitting in a public club with the coach, chairman and general manager of a high profile Sydney club during a time the media is zeroing in on our off contract players and their future. Gus works for Ch 9 and the SMH of course the media would get a video with Reed having a meal and Reed and his manager knew this.I feared but hoped I was wrong that Reed had already gone. Time has proved my initial thoughts right and he has shown me, a fan that has supported him, zero respect.
I am sorry but unlike Marata and Papali’i I cannot cheer for Reed this year. There is a dignified way to leave a club, especially a club that has helped you develop when others have thrown you on the rubbish pile and Reed and his manager have not shown the fans of this club who have got behind him the respect we deserve. I am sure Marata and Papali’i met people from the Tigers and Warriors , they however kept it behind closed doors and showed respect to the eels and more importantly us fans.
The NRL might be a business but to me and my family it is a passion and this club is an extension of our family. In my family we despise disloyalty. I hope Reed stays on Gus Gould’s better side or he might just get shipped off to the super league when Gus’s new shinny toy comes along and he has to deal with the mess his back ended deals are going to create. He might find that the Dogs discard him a second time around if he does not live up to Gould’s wishes.
Of course I will cheer on our team in 22 and I would never ever boo my team or a player in our jersey but Reed will get no cheer or support from me or my family this year. None! Just silence.
Once Junior makes his decision this club needs to make a stand and sign no players Ayoub represents. None! We need to steer any promising juniors away from him. He is a snake and a stain on this game.
As usual, straight to the point Shelley. Agree with everything, my wife and daughter are devastated that Reed showed no loyalty and left the club despite being an integral part of the beating pulse. Like you, Ice and Marata reaped the rewards but unfortunately it seems Reed has turned his back on the club. No support from my family for him in 2022.
Well said Shelley and exactly how I feel 😢
Shelly, I think your dismay and disappointment should be aimed at the coach and the retention committee. Quite simply the club wasn’t prepared to pay Reed what he is worth on the open market. They weren’t even close. Too much money tied up in under performing players, the 5/8 for one.
Sorry Shelley,
The Eels forced Reed’s hand to negotiate with rivals when they made him an insulting offer that had no reality to his actual worth.
Marata and Isaiah have left for bigger deals and I will cheer loudly for them. I have supported Reed a lot in the past and can accept him leaving if the deal is too good or simply if he wants a change and also have questioned the retention policies but that has nothing to do with why I won’t cheer for Reed this season. Unlike the other two, although their managers leaked stories as both clubs and managers continually do , these players met coaches and significant others behind closed doors. Reed showed disdain to us fans by going to a very public dinner meeting at the Bulldogs Leagues Club restaurant knowing full well photos and video would be taken and get splashed all over the news. They are our biggest rival and Reed and his manager tried to use our passion against our own club.
I get absolutely that players must look after themselves but if you want my support you need to at least show us fans the respect we deserve, forget the club management and Reed parading around the Dogs club doing exactly what his manager organised trying to pressure the club via fan anger into buckling to his managers demands is not what I call respect.
There is a right way to leave, Marata and Isaiah showed that hence they will have my full support this coming season and best wishes in the future year and Reed showed the exact opposite.
Shelley, that is such a good point about the player manager. People seem to have forgotten their role in all this.
Shelley, both of your posts on this issue are spot on, the glitz & glamour boys at the dogs, especially gabble duck gould, and the arab manager are there for their own cheap glory. The dogs, have really fallen into a stenched kennel in the way they are trying to climb out of the muck of the past few years, as they bandy around the spoon they deserved.
The way things are shaping now with them and their desire to have players as being their targets as scapgoats for their cap issues, is already backfiring and they will have to let a good number go possibly some pre 2022 season and definately post 2022. The media is already pointing out those areas that will affect the dogs.
I totally agree with in regard to the arab and have the club make a stance against players being part of his stock, when the current agreement that eels players have with him, they should be asked to go with someone else. I also believe the NRL and the leaders there should seriously look at the way managers are handling their contracted players and whether they are there for them or their selfs.
The sorrow of it all for Reed is that I can all but see the future that whenever he plays for the eels next year and at the dogs following there will be big boo’s being handed out to him, maybe all but making him leave, I would also suggest that the dogs as a whole may well be subjected to similiar reactions.
I can remember in the 60’s how some players and particular refs were given big time rasberries. The times, they are not changing.
This is a text I sent to my brother and mum, explaining why cancelling my membership is not an over-reaction… too harsh? (and yes I need a hug)
This hurts more than any other player leaving (including Hayne) for a heap of reasons and on so many levels. Here goes…
* Premiership window shut – keeping and developing this core spine was going to be our best shot at winning that elusive premiership
* 2022 will be a write-off… a season that had so much hope and promise and which I was really looking forward too is over before it begins – this will rip the team apart, they simply won’t want to play for each other. This group publicly stated that they’d stay together because of their special bond and wanting to create history for the eels… Plus I simply couldn’t cheer for anything that Reed does
* BA – we extended his contract on the basis that it meant retaining this roster
* Gould – I can’t stand him. He’s a pathological liar… how can he hold a prominent role at a club and then be in media with all the influence he wields (he practically runs the game). He’s an ego maniac. Only aligns himself to clubs where he’s guaranteed success… Penrith with large junior nursery, now bulldogs with Laundy buying them a team
* Development Club & TPA’s – this is a classic example of a club developing an unwanted player, investing in a NYC bench player and growing him into an origin player, only to lose them before getting any value. There is no incentive or success to be gained by being a “development club”. You’re in fact merely a development club for your competitors – namely Souths (Crowe & Packer), Roosters (Politis), Broncos (The Thoroughbreds Club) and now the Bulldogs (Laundy)
* Bulldogs & Sam Ayoub – they ridiculed us by parading Reed in their leagues club
* Reed & loyalty – he’s a fake and had me fooled. Says a lot about one’s character (i.e mercenary) when 1. You choose/return to a club that cut you 2. You talk about why you play the game (not for money) 3. You turn your back on being the ambassador for your club’s charity partner (Giant Steps) 4. You lead the team winning song (hopefully that’s stripped from him) 5. Your parents are diehard parra fans
Have I missed anything?
My question is who do we replaces these starting 13 players with? Are we going to pay overs for rubbish and return to the past decade? Who is a viable alternative? This is a terrible decision by the club. Everyone knows about the ‘spine’. Who is a better alternative than Reed?
Remember the hoo-ha when Parra pinched the bunnies star halfback on a big contact not so long ago? How did that work out? We ended up with Chris Sandow and the bunnies replaced him with an unknown junior named Adam Reynolds.
Always appreciate your opinion, and positive outlook.
Wish I could agree, honestly do.
No deviation / exception from the recruitment policy needed to be made if the club hadn’t of gotten the valuation of one of the best & most promising hookers in the competition, so dreadfully wrong.
Are we really meant to believe that Mahoney is not worth 600k? Brandon Smith is about to get upwards of 800k, and there are many who believe (Ennis for one) that Mahoney is superior.
We can spin this however we like to sleep better tonight – but something is wrong here, and as fans, we deserve an HONEST explanation. There simply has to be something else at play with Ice & Reed. Is there an issue with them & BA? Other players? Our captain? Is it purely the disrespect we show in initial values of players?
I mean, they’ve left to go the Dogs & Tigers. Not the Storm. Not the Roosters. Not even the Dolphins for huge money.
I just hope it doesn’t take us losing Junior also, to identify there clearly is an issue here & change it.
This is in fact, a disaster. If this is the result of our retention policy & we aren’t willing to deviate from it, regardless of the player, well we are in big trouble
Just one point that I will add to. You spelt out the clubs they are going to. Which clubs are the Storm players going to? The Panthers players? The Rabbitohs players? Do you see the trend? They are going to clubs placed below all of these teams – all for above their market value and/or what their old clubs would match.
All of those clubs are losing players for 2022. The Eels have a year to work on replacements.
But 60’s they’re not losing jet position players, aside from Brandon Smith & Nicho Hynes, but as we know the Storm still have Harry Grant & Ryan Papenhuysen and even then the Storm still made competitive offers for those guys. That’s what you are not comprehending, and clearly McElduff & Sarantinos are not comprehending, you simply cannot allow key position players to walk away, they are everything to a teams success. But no, we want a team of even, muddling talent that will get us into the top 8 but no further. We don’t to pay for elite talent when it’s required.
Precisely Brett. They couldn’t keep both smith & grant, and both papa and hynes… Who’s our plan B ? We just lost a prelim final to the premiers that I’m sure most people would agree that if Mahoney played, we most likely win. If ever the worth of a number 9 was on display, it was then, to our team. And we just let a great one go.
Sixties, also a psychologist would probably write a thesis on the ego, ambition, and drive of Maguire and Gould/Barrett. Maguire is facing the one hit wonder tag and Barrett the no hit Nero. They are competing with the bloke at the Titans as buy now, pay now and sort it later kings. And that poor bloke at the Cowboys buying LLeluia big TBones and throwing $700k pa at him so that Maguire can improve his roster. Agents loving it.
A good point Sixties, absolutely. However those Penrith & storm players have a premiership under their belt. Wouldn’t that have been enticing to Reed & Ice also? And to the club to keep at least Reed? You’re right though, we have a year to find someone and who knows, maybe this will end up a positive – hard to see right now.
What now with Ennis. Do we still invest in Mahoney’s development… for the dogs?
I say use him up, burn him to the core. He got an injury, you play old son. Make him play 80 minutes through whatever niggles he has, send him broken down to Gus and Baz.
I see the need for a policy like they have adopted but surely they have to work smart as well.
The club run a serious risk of losing more players as the club develops them like they did Mahoney and player managers know full well they won’t compete with the bigger offers. We will forever be purely a development club while this happens and the premiership we all crave won’t happen on the back of that.
Moving away from million dollar deals is one thing but pricing players under market value will only help other clubs and place us in a continuous cycle of rebuilding.
Surely it comes down to the negotiating technique of the HOF, doesn’t appear to be the first time the lowballing tactic has been used. That’s not smart and seems managers like Ayoub will use that as an insult , and almost ensures he will look hard and long elsewhere.
A response from the club other than a fluffy pice of , Reed has accepted an offer elsewhere and will play his usual game through 2022. That wouldn’t appear to be enough.
Parra’s trouble is that while it is well on the way to being a development club, for both juniors and players unwanted by other clubs, the club isn’t quite there as a destination club. That said, and despite the money on offer, Reed and the others have gone to clubs which have some obvious problems. As disappointed as I am I’m not going to descend into doom and gloom just yet.
I really wanted to believe in BA. I thought he showed signs of what he and the team were capable of through their resolve in the back half of last year. But the loss of Reed hurts. D Brown is currently on $600K per year, and has an option in his favour for 2023 for over $700K. Based on his stats do we seriously think that Brown is a better option than Reed? I fear BA might be out of his depth with the roster management. Brown had the same agent as BA so no doubt that transaction was easier. Ayoub is a tough cookie, but Reed on $600K is not unreasonable. I am really at a loss. I just hope BA is holding some aces up his sleeves that we don’t know about.
Storm lose players that they are happy to lose.
ADC (and Inglis & Cronin) wanted to move to Sydney.
Finucane – it’s a retirement contract, they’ve gotten the best from him.
Hynes – rep quality player who can’t make their 13.
Brandon Smith when he goes – same thing.
Warriors, Titans and Dolphins all prepared to pay $1m plus for J Hughes, but he would rather stay, same applies to Munster.
Reed has come up thru the grades with many who are in our team now, but that bond, will to win with the players you are mates with, loyalty – clearly means nothing to him. It’s so disappointing. Its early days in his career – he didn’t need to jump ship for $$$.
Sorry to see Reed go but the reality is that there will be someone who fills his spot. Maybe not so brilliantly, perhaps more. But the team will have someone trying their heart out in 9 and that’s all you can ask.
I’m not going to follow the Daily Telicrap narrative of Parra lowballing players. That’s a poor argument. Good luck to Reed for a deal to good to turn down.
I am hoping the team galvanise around the last season together and deliver a premiership in 22!
i can’t believe our retention committee let Reed get away. And the price the Bulldogs reportedly offered is not over the top for a player of his quality and in his position – Reed is a player for now and the future – great pass off the ground, can kick from dummy half, knows when to run, and a leader in chasing the kicks in general play, and full of enthusiasm and energy on every play .
A leader in the making . Could have potentially become our version of a Jake Friend/ Cameron Smith ( not saying he will be a GOAT) but a Jake Friend 10 year player is still a great outcome) and be seen as quality number 9s that you can build around.
We had a great long term spine in progress – Mahoney, Moses, Brown and Gutho – and you can’t let these key players go ( as the top clubs have shown) – you keep them and build around them
I understand Marata going for family reasons, Ice getting incredible offer which was too tempting ( but maybe a slightly higher offer from us would have got him to stay as he is a top player and on the rise) , but losing a player that will be first or second choice for Queensland hooker in Origin is very very disappointing.
I think a lot of Eels fans will be shaking their head in amazement, and disappointment, that we were prepared to let Reed go
Would be great to hear from the retention / football committee on why they thought Reed was not value at the $$ he was offered
I’m just sad.
Sad a bloke would break up our spine and not want to play in and behind our pack. Sad a bloke could imaging playing for Barrett over Arthur was a development step for his career.
I can only figure he didn’t believe in his team and coach. If that’s the case he made the right decision.
Hopefully he wakes up tomorrow more aware of his actions. Good luck at the bulldogs, he’ll need it.
So much for staying for less under Arthur, and not only that, his two prized development players have both left. Sorry but the Arthur loyalty is a myth, Gutherson proved that he isn’t a captain as he stuck by Ayoub side after he dragged the eels through the mud, and our current Junior development is below what is expected, It all leads to the eels missing the top 8 for the remaining Arthur years. bye.
Bye!
Don’t let the door hit you where the good lord split you.
Hopefully in the future we can strike a balance between a good junior development alongside good retention. Unfortunately there are always going to be other clubs that step in to pay more than what can be afforded in the greater picture.
The whole contract signings greater then 12 months in the future is what concerns me more – do you bench the leaving player in order to develop a replacement? Do you go hard with them in order to get a result, if only this year? Surely it affects the squad
Hi all. I haven’t posted here before however I felt compelled to do so today given this disaster.
There’s no sugar coating this. This is managerial incompetence plain and simple.
This theory that the Eels now have set valuations that cannot be deviated from is probably true. That’s how corporate types like Sarantinos and McElduff operate. Put it all up on an Excel spreadsheet and expect the world to adhere to it.
However it’s also a cataclysmic disaster in the making. You simply can’t be so rigid in dealing with player valuations. There are just too many variable not the least of which are our competitors. If the club sticks to this rigid approach we’ll merely be a club which is great at supplying decent NRL talent to 16 other clubs at bargain basement prices.
Every successful club has a core group of players that they simply will not allow to leave. It’s almost always the Spine players and at 23 years of age, QLD Origin selected, great citizen off the field and likely future Captain Reed was definitely one of those players you simply do not let leave the club. You cement them in. You make their contract renewal easy and hassle free. You hold all the cards and both parties want the same outcomes.
But when you kick off negotiations with a lowball offer you basically declare war. And we just lost, big time.
The club has made an enormous error here. Quality 9’s are rare and important.
Welcome over here mate, prepare to be a negative nelly on this site
Why, if you talk negative about the coaching staff on here it’s an instant ban
Incorrect. We’ve long had a certain person banned who has had an unhealthy obsession with this site for many years and continues creating multiple guises to get his jollies. It’s our community service to fellow Eels supporters to uphold that ban.
No problem with differing opinions Brett. There are certainly plenty of differing replies and perspectives in this post. And on occasions we’re on the same page mate.
I’m referring to the fact that Mutt and I are referred to as “unicorns” on 1EE, but here we’re negative nellies, just the contrast
Well said, MuttMan. Always like reading your balanced opinion on one eyed eel also.
Could not agree more with everything you’ve said.
Finally a voice of sanity. Thank you Muttman.
Development club or disappointment club???
If you do some maths, and you have to run a lot of numbers through your head, enough that it’s better to watch a Nordic crime series, the $9.4 million cap doesn’t stretch a long way when you’re a top 4/5 team. The current economics will always see a club or three in our predicament. Agents will exploit the economics til their noses bleed and players will in most cases go for the ride. It would be interesting to have clubs publish some data on cap management.
That’s why you have to prioritise your key position players. Typically your starting spine, if it’s quality, should take up 30% of your cap. At the moment that equates to about 750k per playmaker per year on average. We aren’t spending that and we should be, given the quality & potential of our spine. You fit the rest of your team around those 4 guys.
That last comment of mine re cap data is aimed at what you’re suggesting here. We will never get to see the actual spreadsheets,beside the privacy issue you never know what we might learn, but the cap is such an impactful part of the game it wouldn’t hurt to have some transparency if all clubs were asked to compile a report,say as at March 1(around when comp starts)where the data was cut into segments(no names) on a yearly basis and went out til the last contract expiry date.I’m sure an expert analyst could come up with a design that respected privacy but shared good information with all stakeholders. And hey, even a small amount of public transparency makes the shonks think twice.
I’ve long believed that player salaries should be published. They warn execution salaries, they can be published like many executives salaries are.
Come on people – time to take the blue and gold eye lids off. People are running around like we have lost a future immortal! He’s a good solid player Reed but if Qld had the players that NSW has, or if Harry Grant can stay fit, he wouldn’t be anywhere near SOO. He’s a terrier in defence but he does have some holes in his game. When was the last MOM award he claimed ? Reed has been pumped so high by his manger and Gus that he probably thinks he’s on the road to immortality.
Did we really lose that much when Reed was replaced by Lussick this year ?
Yes it’s disappointing but let’s put it all in perspective.
The Storm have lost some great players and I haven’t heard too much about that.
I know Brendan Hands is a really good player and will surprise a lot of people.
We will be fine.
Reedys always been over rated by the fans ,lussic was playing better football than him last season , he will be replaced comfortably !!
Call me naive but I need to hear this from the club.
I am disappointed though, that given the predictable fan reaction and his importance to the team that there has been no clarification from the club.
They could come out and knock it on the head as false. They would have to know the fans are desperate for that.
Or they could confirm and let the fan grieving process kick in with certainty, thus moving past it sooner. This second option though, would have to be accompanied by some sort of explanation. What do they know that we don’t or what is in the big picture that makes this the right direction for the roster.
While I have supported their measured approach to recruitment it shouldn’t solely be about the bottom dollar.
Of course I’m aware I’m asking for too much, even though I think the club owes it to “the best fans in the league”, but hey, I didn’t think the club would screw this up either.
I’m sure we will be hearing something from the club
Geez there’s a lot of angst here. Ok I get it, Reed is a good player, and like others a good clubman. But the fans need to balance angst with perspective. The Eels have done well to manage cap and develop players in recent times. This should be the first thing to focus on. It may be easier to emotionally invest hope in the next big thing that we pay overs for, but ultimately it’s much better management to avoid car crash high risk signings.
I’m disappointed Reed is going, especially to a bunch of degenerates like the Dogs. He has a tonne of potential and seems a decent buy at $600k per year. But a few things to reflect on;
1. His injury cloud – Reeds shoulder could be high risk of being cooked. This makes a 4 year deal out to 2026 unappealing
2. We might have a star rake, or other player in the wings from 2023 onwards
3. We still have 2022
4. The Eels should be playing the long game. Sure we’ve been waiting longer than is fair, but being impatient now is unlikely to pay off.
5. We just don’t have the level of info the club has to second guess these issues. And don’t think the media story is a complete fair and unbiased view of matters.
With that all being said, my questions are a few fold; (1) with players leaving for 2023, will they go into hibernation to prevent injury during big money contracts, (2) or will they see these as pay days and 2023 as a last short term tilt at a premiership, (3) what does the club have in store for us fans after letting these popular and talented players leave, and (4) can we win a premiership by being conservative with cap management, or do we need to take some more risks?
Unfortunately most of the above will only be answered with hindsight. But on balance I’m going to back a club with a recent track record of making good commercial decisions, to keep doing the same. Let’s focus on getting results in 2022.
Mick, I should have recruited you to write this post. Are you available for future articles? 😁
A terrific and logical response mate.
Haha. Always happy to contribute here. You guys do a great job.
Cheers mate
I’m not gonna worry about it anymore. We’ll see by 2023 how ready we are by then. 2022 hasn’t even happened yet. Mahoney could have a shocking year and we could be glad getting rid of him for all we know. What’s done is done. Mahoney wants to play for a basket case club for more money that’s his agenda. Sad that he’s going but we’ll get through it
I feel like Rheed is a risk based on the fact prior to this year he looked another M.Keating clone. Tackle machine with no run game or much else.
He had a brilliant year in 2021 but still lacking much of a run game. He was in the bottom 3 or 4 hookers for average run meters and that’s behind one of the best packs.
Lussick who is a dead set NSW cup level hooker looked ok in our system. Yes we dropped off when Mahoney was put but by how much?
So you have to wonder if Rheed is a long term top shelf hooker or just had a great season. A little like N.Peats who looked a superstar.
Throw in a shoulder reco. He is on the smaller side and I am not sure what level he is.
When a team is strong players all look good. Yes Rheed is a good hooker but when your paying 600k for a guy you need to compare him to what a 350k hooker would do. And how squad will be boosting other positions.
The problem 60’s is that the R$R committee, in particular McElduff & Sarantinos, have seriously undervalued Reed Mahoney if the numbers we’re hearing are any indication. Dummy half is the most important position on the field and Reed is a top 5 player at the position where there is a chronic shortage of depth. They clearly didn’t learn their lesson when dealing with Sam Ayoub, don’t lowball his clients. BA must be tearing what little hair he has out. How can he possibly be expected to get this team ready for a premiership run this year ?
You know what they’re doing to the fan base ? They’re l almost yearning for the “good old days” of ParraFirst & 3P, that’s how much this is a gut punch. And don’t compare this to the Storm, they don’t lose key position players unless they have a ready made replacement. What do we have, Mitch Rein ? Please. You can’t manage a roster JUST with an Excel spreadsheet, and yes, you do need to deviate from your principles for key position players, even if it means weakening your overall depth.
This has been a complete failure of management, there’s no other way to spin this.
Brett i can agree with some of those sentiments. I can only assume the R and R committee did not value Reed as high as C’bury. Until something official comes out we are all left wondering.
I’m not spinning it in any way. It’s an emotional gut punch for me as a fan of Reed who has reported on him from NYC to NRL. But, putting on an analytical hat, has Reed delivered a 700k+ season for Parra as yet? Because that is apparently the figure he has signed for over 4 years. He was arguably on track to a $500k season last year but missed a significant number of games due to a recurring injury. That in itself is another matter. Before last season I defended him against criticism from fans who said he didn’t provide enough attacking variety from dummy half and was a target in defence! There weren’t as many critics in 2021.
Reed has the potential to be an Origin star, but injury has curtailed that at the moment.
That Reed has not produced a $700K season is a good point. He has potential but it is still unrealised.
Who says he hasn’t produced that, and how do you quantify the monetary value of what he has or hasn’t produced ?
If you believe he has, can you tell me which year it was Brett?
In 2021 he was close to, if not, our best player. I thought a club like the Dolphins would easily offer more than 700k, but that’s my impression.
The reports are the Dogs nabbed him for roughly 650k which seems cheap to me. I thought it would be more more than that.
I was shocked when I heard we offered only around 400-450k, which I assumed he was already on about 400k, I guess he must have been on less in 2021.
See my comment below
Injuries are part and parcel of the game, and his injuries have been contact injuries which could happen at any time. What everyone is missing is that you’re judging Reed in isolation, instead of what he brings to the collective of our spine. The spine needs to be viewed as a single entity, not four different players. Time spent playing together matters, it’s crucial, especially with your spine. Once you’ve identified the spine you want to go forward with, you simply have to go all in to ensure that group stays and grows together. I’ve no doubt we’ll find someone else to take his place, but now Mitch, Gutho & DB have to learn to play with someone else, and in the case of Gutho & MM, in their primes when they should be already on a virtual telepathic link with their dummy half.
HI Sixties, your writing is like an Opera House visit, composed and balanced with the right notes.
I have left my response until now.
Like others I see little loyalty in the game, and understand players need to do the best for themselves.
Milo, that’s almost a dedicated post in your reply!
Guthos negotiation shouldn’t have interfered with this you’d suggest, but who knows. Agents should be used to dealing with clubs who are in multiple discussions.
Reports on social media are suggesting that the Dogs offer is over $700K. That’s crazy money.
Cheers mate, i had 5 mins today to write this one.
Yes have seen some reports of the rumoured contract, and it is anything from $600-700 k. No doubt he will be playing finals footy….. 🙂
That’s standard money for an elite dummy half
It’s not crazy money for a rep quality hooker under 25. We are paying Moses about 950k already for a comparison. RCG got about 700-800k. Gutherson is on about 700-800k too. Ferguson, a winger, was on about 500k.
Sixties any chance the club can depart with these player’s in 2022 ? If not then why not ?
I’m more then happy for these player’s to never see a 1st grade game with the Eels again.
Why should we nurture them for their future teams.
Im fine with them looking after there future’s. The thing i hate is there’s no loyalty anymore. None what’s so ever.
Just ask the regular guy busting his ass doing 12 hr days just to make end’s meat will he sign 1.5 million dollars. I know i would.
Next is Jr Paulo let’s see how that pens out.
Can we bring back joey lussick.
Imo i think it started with joey John’s.
I’d prefer to use them up, send them to their new clubs in 2023 as broken, busted shells of their former selves.
🤣 🤣 🤣 I did get a chuckle from that Brett.
Joey Johns? Rev!
As I understand it, no player will be leaving before 2023. As for nurturing them, it’s more a point of using what they can offer until they go. Clubs sign players for 12 months. Clubs even sign players for just the back half of the season. Look at the Riff with TPJ last year. As long as they are professional and give their all, I’m happy for them to play in the top grade. If they lose form, that’s a different matter.
I don’t know how everybody seems to know how much he is going to get from the Bulldogs. Is there a microphone hide some where? But in saying that the Bulldogs must have just blown parramatta out of the water. You wouldn’t think he would of left for just $100k it must of been more?
I agree with Ray Price ,sack the hole board they have no idea. Parra is no were near winning a gf. I’ve been a Parra fan for more than 45 year,s. I think it a good choice for Reed leave. Good luck bro.
This was not a board decision, the only board member involved was the Chairman Shane McElduff. This was a decision by the R&R committee
Parra were looking at Tom Starling at one point last year before it went cold. He would be a perfect replacement for Reed and suit oir style of play
Which shows you how reed is rated , hes good but thats it, 700 k rumoured , ridiculous , good decision by r & r !!!
I’m struggling to think of any current dummy half that should earn over 700k. Maybe Brandon Smith but he also plays 13.
I’ll give you 5 if the top of my head.
Damian Cook
Brandon Smith
Reed Mahoney
Harry Grant
Api Koriosau
No. It would currently end at Smith. Cook in past years but not the last two years. The current rules seem to have nullified the dummy half and yet I thought it would bring them to the fore.
The second rowers would have been mad not to take there deals and reed should have been retained but at what cost? The 81 side had a mix of local juniors plus a saints premiership winner as captain. Our nursery of juniors was the place where other kids from other clubs hated. Look what happens when you retain kids (penrith) and have a system in place to make parra there home for life. BA needs assistants and mary now assistant and backs coach is great. Freddie has him at NSW doing the same job. Paying overs for long contracts is a recipe for disaster. Parra are the only team to come last whilst being over the cap. Yes other teams got stripped but won comps and about 17 on the trot (dogs)We could not even win a ARL comp with the dogs big 4.The last 2 weeks has been horrible for us fans but if we want to be in the black money wise as a sydney club and we need to stick to the policy.Go The EELS.
Well said Scott
From reports the Dogs have $500,000.00 left for 2023, and 9 spots to fill. @ $80k min salary, the maths doesn’t work. They simply have to let some players go.
Correct. And the system shouldn’t permit clubs to pillage without limitations now and work it out later.
Which is why they haven’t announced Reed Mahoney yet.
It’s why they shouldn’t be able to do such a deal at all.
Officially they haven’t
Hey sixties, what are your thoughts on players signing 12 months out from Thier contract finishing? Do you think the players will still put in 100% when things get tough? And could this cause a rift in the playing group next year?
Sparky
I think this is a continuation of the rift from last season’s accomodation fiasco.I’m expecting us to miss the 8 next year.
How do you possibly link the two?
I’m no fan of the system that allows that and it needs to change. That aside, we aren’t the only club impacted by that, and if none of the blokes ask for an early release, I’d expect nothing but 100% from them.
Sixties. Is this the most read article of all time? Looks like it’s got a cord with so many people. SEN radio was frothing at the mouth all day and that parra supporters were handing back their membership. I have just noticed that the NRL, parra and doggies websites don’t mention Reedy signing. I think this is all good manager forcing parras hand for more money. I think reedy with really be cash Mahoney and will be staying with us. Thoughts?
Above posted by me 😃
No, I don’t believe it’s a strategy for him to stay on more coin.
The post is the second most read of this season, and sits at the 6th most read of all time, but it’s got some way to go to hit number 1.
That said it’s certainly a post that has extracted the most posted replies/opinions.
I remember when supporters were frothing at the mouth over us badly managing the salary cap and getting caught , cost us semi final appearance 2016, people with the least facts dont make sensible judgements .
Honestly so disappointed by TCT’s reaction to this. Instead of a thorough investigation into how this could possibly unfold, we hear spin about salary cap management and hold your horses don’t judge until 2023 messages!
2023 the bulldogs will likely be higher than parramatta on the ladder, especially if the bleeding continues and we lose Junior to the dolphins, Brown to the warriors, Sivo to union and Matterson to whoever decides to pay him.
Reed will likely be a future captain at the bulldogs.
He was likely a future captain of the Parramatta eels, until we saw fit to give him an insulting offer. If you don’t think 400k for an under 25 rep quality player is insulting, you have no idea about the wages NRL players are on. Dylan Brown was already on 700k or something, and we just gave 800k to a front row forward in RCG, but reed was apparently only worth a meager 400k. To put it in perspective, Fergo who just left us, was on about 500k. So we offered less money to an under 25 rep quality spine player than we did to a winger, or a front row forward…
Cooper Cronk said as much (Reed is a future captain) – and also said that Parra should have moved quote “heaven and earth” to retain reed. Cameron Smith also had reed as his Maroons 9 going forward, over Harry Grant.
Instead they lowballed him with 400k AFTER losing Ice and Marata (didn’t those losses free up money? Also we replaced Fergo with a minimum wage winger, didn’t that free up money? WHERE IS THE MONEY???)
I would check some of your figures to see how they align with reality, along with how much the club has spent on players who are in the NRL team.
The club as I see them had begun a process of paying players according to their value with the club, how much money the players are on are unknowns but, there has been several players who have left since seasons end that has freed up money to sign existing and new players.
Thing is players themselves are more often than not, especially when they get something akin to believing their own worth is more than what others see they are really worth. The club has had too many players in the past who are quite compitent and paid above what their real value is. And its not just with the eels either.
Also you need to know what they are on to make your low ball accusation on players no matter who they are. Many times in days gone by false amounts have been bandied around amongst players with the pure purpose of undemining a team through incorrect guestimations of what some recieve in their contracts.
The figures are pretty close to reality. Obviously we can’t see the real contracts, some of them may be back ended which could inflate them even further, which may explain why our salary cap is suddenly stuffed.
RCG’s Panthers contract was around 700k-800k per season. They are paying part of that, but when he negotiated a new contract with us, the Panthers are no longer paying for the new years.
Brown already had a significant upgrade when he did his last contract, it may not be 700k, but it is substantial from his previous contract, and it is DEFINITELY far more than 400k.
Ferguson on 500k was widely reported. We replaced him with Solomone Naiduki…who is probably on minimum wage (he better be, since he’s never played a first grade game)
Riff are paying part for RCG, and gets less than the amount you suggest he was around on.
The Value seen in DB was enough for him to stay and take out a PO. and he’s not one far more than you are suggesting.
Fergs was on $550, Naduki only played one match in the top grade, as Fergs was brought back, you cannot say Fergs was replaced by a rookie except for the specific game played against the riff where the eels fielded a 2nd half team of rookies.
So what is the threat to him all about?
We just extended RCG with 3 years, so 23, 24 are no longer being subsidised by the Panthers, when they previously would have chipped in at least a small amount.
DB has a player option correct, but the Warriors will likely make an offer with more years, forcing us to match if we want to keep him. He is already on very good coin, better than Reed was. Significantly better. Reed should have been a priority over Dylan (and I’m a huge Dylan fan, but Reed could have been retained for less money and his game seems to be developing faster than Dylan’s).
Fergs WAS replaced by a rookie on the cap hit! Ferguson’s 2021 spot on the roster was given to either Sean Russell or Naiduki, who are both rookies and would be on minimum wage or close to it, which means we should have saved about 400k of cap hit. Where has this money gone?
I made no threat, I think you misread my comment. I was saying the club better not be stupid enough to pay a rookie winger more than minimum wage. I’m not implying threat or violence, more saying “surely they can’t be that stupid, right?”
Have you been shown RCG’s contract? Do you know whether he’s being subsidised by Penrith or not?
Up until RCG signed again, he was still under contract with the eels, that included the element that he was under contract for next year and the following 3 years. His contract that included the subsidisation from the Riff does not end until the agreement signed by RCG and the riff for the duration of his contract with the eels. The fact is that he did not leave the eels and he is still under the contract with Payment from the riff.
DB has a PO for 2023 that means he can make the call on what he does, stay with the eels, for that season or extend it for how ever long he wants. You make judgemental calls on who is the better player, at times both Red & Dylan are as competitive against each other, I also think that you will find that both players have their own attributes in how to play the game, both are excellent in their own rights. If Reed could have been signed for less money, why wasn’t he? I would suspect that he was given an additional amount as sweetener if he signed on the dotted line with the dogs and them pretty much saying to him sign now or go away, or similar aspects in it.
Fergs was not replaced by a rook fill in. The simple facts are that he was replaced by the coach owing to some very poor reads on his wing position, Haze Dunster got his position and held it while Fergs was rested and given pretty much the options to pick his game up. That he did, and on the last game of the main season there were a number of rookies in the team as found in the 2nd half.
Penisini went into the centres and proved himself as a future centre for the club, Dunster has cemented Fergs old wing spot, both the two rookies you mentioned were part of the 2nd half run on team.
The way you worded your post in regard to your belief & statement the club better hat
d better not be stupid enough to pay a rookie winger more than minimum wage.
None of use has the right to make such judgement calls in regard to the club and how they handle the signing of players and at what/whose cost.
You still aren’t comprehending half of what I said.
I was talking about Ferguson’s spot on the roster for 2022 onwards, not his being replaced in first grade in 2021.
Its you who has not comprehended, as fergs finished his time at the eels end of this season as his contract had been completed, and nothing for 2022 for him.
Actually i don’t comprehend anything you’ve said !! Do you ??
The all knowing guru !! Actually rude of you to be referring to everyone elses opinion as stupid especially when you have no actual knowledge whats taking place on the inside . The club owns itself now not managers !!!!
How do you know that the Panthers are no longer paying anything for RCG?
Do you read the news? RCG declined his player option (this is the one the Panthers were paying part of) and renegotiated a NEW contract with the Parramatta Eels for a 3 year extension.
The NEW contract would have 0 Panthers money in it because it was negotiated between Parra and RCG, and had no connection to the old contract.
Panthers may be paying something in 2022, but in 2023 onward they are now paying 0 dollars.
See my post/reply above in regard to the affect of RC declining his contract. Fact is that RCG did not leave the eels and he extended his contract with the club which legally gives him the money that the Riff would have to pay him as he’s playing for the eels the club that agreed to sign him from the Riff with the Riff paying towards his contract, based on the time fram of the riff contract for him which remained with him whilstever playing for the eels within the contract time line.
Both of you missed the part where he declined his previous player option which ended the old contract. The one he signed with the Panthers, and was later transferred to the Eels. When he declined the player option it terminated the final 2 years of the contract. This is how he became a free agent to negotiate with any club i.e. The Dolphins.
A new one was then signed November 1, 2022 onwards, with Parramatta alone, and the Penrith Panthers would not have had to do anything, because the old contract was gone.
Furious, NRL contracts are more complicated than that. If there is money that the Panthers have to pay, they still have to pay it.
Furious, I believe that your disappointment is that this reaction post doesn’t share your sentiments. The difference being, I can understand your feelings, and opinions – I simply hold a different opinion and it’s not spin, thanks very much.
I’m explaining the salary cap policy that the club operates under. Furthermore, you are being critical of my stance that we will be able to judge whether it is the right call come 2023 when our roster for that year is known.
That is a logical statement, not spin. You’re making a statement about the future that the Bulldogs will finish higher than the Eels in 2023. How do you know? It is not valid argument because you can’t possibly base it on any evidence.
If we get it wrong and can’t replace Reed, Ice or Marata and don’t perform well then I will report that the club got it wrong and it will be based on performance.
By the way, it’s become common knowledge that the Eels offered much more than $400k.
Ultimately you are angry that Reed has left and blame the club. I am disappointed that Reed has left, and am also disappointed that we have to recruit or develop a replacement. But I’m not angry, and I understand how the club and Reed couldn’t come to an agreement. I’m confident that we will do so but will be critical if we cannot.
Don’t you spin my argument into anything different.
Yeah, I heard our offer got up to about 550k AFTER he was entertaining leaving.
Do you see the problem? That is still significantly less than the reported 650k he signed for the dogs. Some people are claiming it is higher than that, but the papers are pretty firm with the figure being 600-650k for the Dogs, which I maintain is cheap for a rep quality 9 who is under 25 years of age. Cooper Cronk seems to agree with me, not to mention some former legends of the Eels, and the rugby league community at large.
Sixties – the spin is about more than Reed. It’s the entire angle of how you choose to portray the Parramatta Eels dealings. It’s plain to see you are an optimist, and you believe the best of the club, and believe they have the best, most noble intentions in all dealings.
I just don’t see it that way.
They deemed Reed was worth approximately 400k. Why did they raise their offer, if that is what he is worth? I thoroughly think this is a delusional figure and was NEVER going to work, especially in a year where the Dolphins introduced 10 million dollars of new cap space to the market.
Obviously all the stuff about the bulldogs, future captaincy is speculation, but I stand by my words. They are trending upwards, and we are trending downwards. I honestly hope your optimism about our juniors is accurate, because unless we have serious breakthoughs with our junior players like Sean Russell and others turning into gun first graders, we are going to be in trouble.
Stop reading and believing the papers , it will help your blood pressure and sleeping patterns .
Future captain wow 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 hilarious !
There are less than 8 elite dummy halves in the entire comp.
We had 1 of them, and now we don’t.
The discussion is pretty much that simple.
If we don’t replace him with another one of the elite dummy halves by 23, we have gone backwards.
No it’s not that simple because you are completely omitting the salary cap and determining player prices across an entire roster.
I’ll make this guarantee, if the club has made a mistake with this decision and it bites them on the bum in 2023, I will write a dedicated post at the end of 2023 calling them out.
And what will constitute “biting them on the bum” ?
Being unable to assemble an equivalent roster and/or failing to make finals football.
So that’s the pass mark, making the top 8 ?
Very interesting and passionate debate. Having been an Eels tragic since 1967, I have endured many years of sub-standard administration, the exception being when Bernie Gurr was in charge.
I too am very disappointed to lose Reed and agree that he deserved a better offer than what Parramatta made him. But I also agree that his game is not perfect. Gus will take him to the next level.
I would like to know what benefit, if any, Mr O’Neill has brought to this club. He was a decidedly ordinary footballer and if half of what I’ve heard about his approach to contract negotiations is true then he has to go.
Parramatta always seem to find the money to sign dead heads that no one else wants – that clown that subbed for Junior late in 2021 being a prime example. No doubt he will be re-signed 🤨.
Gutherson lost me when he abused Opacic in the Roosters game. Reed would have made a better captain IMHO.
Never mind. Maybe a tough 2022 is what’s needed to put the broom through the current maladministration. And I don’t mean BA. The coach can only work with the players at hand.
Who was the clown your referring to , dont you know his name ??
Makatoa
And I don’t forget names. Even yours.
We must be related mines anonymous to !!
Anonymous, you are starting to cross the line with the clown comment. If you know a players name use it. Don’t be disrespectful. It might seem like a small deal but as soon as I allow people to head down that path here it is a slippery slide to name calling and personal attacks. Even your comments about MON are throwing in irrelevance (your assessment of him as a footballer) and inference (what I’ve heard…)
Criticise form or decisions but leave the garbage out.
And incidentally Maka deserved his shot and played well. To refer to a bloke as a clown – who has gone through years of having to hold down both a job and his football commitments to get a chance at 28 years of age – it’s a disgraceful comment. I can only assume that you didn’t watch him play or see his effort on effort or the stats he returned both in NSW Cup and the NRL. His footy got him his contract.
Gee, I didn’t realise that an expression of opinion amounts to a “disgraceful comment.” I will just defer to your opinion. I’m not out to offend anyone, but Makatoa’s performance against the Knights in particular drew a lot of criticism from people I spoke to afterwards. He may be a very fine man – my comment related only to his on-field performances in first grade.
And like many others, I am deeply frustrated by the standard of administration, a problem that has beset Parramatta for most of the last 5 decades. Several others have expressed their anger in harsher language, but I haven’t seen them chewed out.
Never mind: your forum, your rules. My apologies.
I appreciate your reply here Anonymous. We disagree in our opinions about Maka, but we move on.
Incidentally reed dosent have a next level , hes peaked ! Also gus only brings them there , he dosent take them anywhere !!
I respect your opinion but disagree. Reed hasn’t actually played SOO yet or captained an NRL team, but I think Phil Gould will help him to achieve both.
Rumours on the grapevine that Junior Paulo will be signing for the Dolphins. I hope it is not true. I wonder, if true, will this change the way all this has been reported? Will the optimism end?
Dylan Brown also being heavily courted by the Warriors.
If we lose them both, will TCT condemn our recruitment committee?
It’s a fair question.
The answer is that you cannot manufacture another Junior and Dylan has been with us since he was 16.
The pressure is squarely in the shoulders of the retention committee, have no doubt that the Roosters would not lose players like Junior and Dylan who are not only crucial to the style of the team, but also juniors.
if they can’t find a way to retain them, then basically they need to be replaced , I understand that may be seen as an over reaction, but let’s face it, their job description is retaining ng a competitive team and that is not what we are seeing. Sure, we have juniors coming through and some players can be replaced, but let’s be honest , this off season has exposed weakness in our negotiation process.
The final against Penrith proved that Reed was worth the money, why couldn’t we find the bu ks to keep him
The final against Penrith proved we needed a dummy half. We had lost all three.