This season is the last chance for Parramatta’s 19 off contract players

Just about every player at Parramatta is playing for their future with 19 Eels off contract at the end of the 2019 season - including skipper Tim Mannah and star halfback Mitchell Moses.

Mitchell Moses of the Eels looks on following this team's loss to the Bulldogs in the Round 10 NRL match between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and the Parramatta Eels at ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Friday, May 11, 2018. (AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

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Parramatta veteran Tim Mannah has admitted his entire team are playing for their futures this season.

Mannah is one of 15 regular first-graders — including Clint Gutherson, Manu Ma’u and Mitchell Moses — who are off contract at the Eels. Youngsters like Greg Leleisiuao and Ray Stone are also looking for new deals.

But the players won’t be the only ones trying to secure their futures, coach Brad Arthur’s contract also expires at the end of the year.

Mannah knows the club’s contract situation will be a focal talking point during the season but he says his teammates are refusing to see it as a negative.

“From the coach all the way down to the players we are all in the same boat,” he said.

“When you have a season like we did last year it’s understandable that the club would want to be in this kind of position.

Moses is off contract at season’s end. AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts.

“We’re on notice all the time. The facts are pretty obvious and the boys know the situation we are in and we know we can’t afford to have a year like we did last year because we hated it.

“Obviously when you’re winning it makes things easier and it opens up more opportunities for the boys when it comes to their contracts and continuing at the club.

“I don’t think it’s a negative and it’s something we can use to our advantage and it will get the best out of our squad.”

The Eels have spent the week on the Central Coast for a training camp, which Mannah says has helped the group refresh and reconnect.

“We trained but it was awesome to get around each other and spend more time together, we had a good time these last few days,” he said.

Mannah says the chance to bond as a team has become a crucial part of their preseason preparations.

He conceded the team had gradually lost its connection on their way to a disappointing wooden spoon finish.

Could this be the end of Tim Mannah. Picture by Brett Costello.

“We’ve worked really hard on our relationships to help get the group tight again. For whatever reason we probably were a bit disconnected last year, when you are losing a lot of games it has that kind of effect,” Mannah said.

“We really didn’t notice we were disconnected at the time but when we look back on the season we definitely feel there wasn’t that tight bond that we’ve had in the past.

“So we’ve work really hard on that and I feel like we have really got that unity back now at the club.”

Mannah says his team started their 2018 on the backfoot and struggled to save their campaign. But he says the last place finish is in that past and the entire team has hit the re-set button in 2019.

“As sad as it was our season was pretty much over before it started last year so it ended up dragging on,” he said.

“The good thing about a new year is that it’s a chance at a fresh start and we are looking forward to that.

“We’re on a level playing field and starting at the same place as every other team. We come into it knowing our fate, our season is in our hands.

“We can’t wait to start playing again.”

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