NRL Transfer Market: Parramatta Eels target Dane Gagai; Brent Naden set to join Bulldogs
A Test and Origin star has emerged as a potential replacement for off-contract winger Blake Ferguson at the Eels next season.
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Parramatta have launched a bid to sign Dane Gagai after meeting with the Test star.
Gagai looms as a potential replacement for off-contract winger Blake Ferguson as the Eels prowl the player market to add potency to their backline. They have been linked with Brisbane’s Kotoni Staggs but on Tuesday turned their attention to Gagai.
With Ferguson’s future at the club still unknown it is likely Gagai would make a home on the wing.
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His ability to play centre is also an attraction, although the Eels have the injured Waqa Blake contracted until the end of 2023 and have highly touted centre Will Penisini contracted until the end of next year. Tom Opacic joined the side on a one-year deal from North Queensland this year.
Gagai is the highest profile outside back off contract with seven Tests and 16 matches for Queensland to his name plus 210 top grade games.
The 30-year-old has also been linked with a return to the Broncos or as a potential target for any expansion team in Brisbane if he is willing to ink a one-year deal.
The Eels have a stack of players whose futures remain unsettled, including Ferguson.
The Eels told Ferguson last November that 2021 would be his final season at the club.
“I just want to be with a team that wants me,” Ferguson said this month.
“Obviously I’d love to stay with Parramatta but if they have other plans, I feel I’ll definitely add value wherever I go.”
Mitchell Moses has until round 10 to take up an option in his favour to remain at the club and has been heavily courted by Brisbane, while Nathan Brown and the Eels are back at the negotiation table despite the club withdrawing an offer to the NSW lock last month.
Manly pulled out of talks with Brown. Publicly, Brown and Moses have indicated their desire to remain at the Eels long-term.
Ryan Matterson also has an option in his favour which he is yet to take up.
Gagai is in the final year of a rich four-year deal at the Rabbitohs.
South Sydney have not closed the door on keeping Gagai but have told him they cannot make a move until halfback Adam Reynolds’ situation becomes clearer.
If Reynolds, who has been heavily linked with a move to the Sharks, leaves the club at season’s end then South Sydney will return to the negotiation table with Gagai.
Gagai told News Corp last month he would be willing to sign a cut-price deal to help keep Reynolds at Redfern.
“This is my last season,” Gagai said. “But I don’t want to go anywhere. 100 per cent (I would take a pay cut to keep the team together). I want to be part of what we are building and do my bit.”
They would be prepared to offer a short-term deal if Gagai has an option on the table to potentially again reunite with Wayne Bennett at a new Brisbane franchise.
While much of the attention has centred around Reynolds, the Rabbitohs have a host of players off-contract, including Jaydn Su’a, Mark Nicholls, Benji Marshall and Braidon Burns.
PANTHER TO BOOST DOGS’ STRIKE POWER
By Dean Ritchie
Josh Addo-Carr, Matt Burton, Nick Cotric, Kyle Flanagan, Corey Allen and now Brent Naden — Bulldogs fans, you finally have a backline to salivate over.
Naden, 25, is set to quit the Panthers, reject interest from Wests Tigers and Parramatta, to sign a two-year deal with Canterbury from next season.
His impending acquisition will continue an impressive build-up by the Bulldogs for 2022. And it means Canterbury’s backline next season will have speed, power and a wow factor.
Naden’s defection to Belmore isn’t yet official but News Corp has been told the deal is close to being finalised.
Penrith wanted to retain Naden — and interest from Wests Tigers was genuine — but the strike centre has a close working relationship with Bulldogs coach Trent Barrett.
The pair built a strong bond at Penrith when Barrett was an assistant coach. Naden is also mates with Burton and Jack Hetherington, former Panthers now signed with Canterbury.
Parramatta also entered the chase for Naden but will be ultimately unsuccessful.
Penrith has a bulging salary cap and was unable to match the Bulldogs’ offer for Naden, who comes off contract after this season.
The Panthers will be forced to spend carefully over the next few years given a large portion of their star-studded line-up has been nailed down long-term.
There were several clubs trying to pinch Naden early but Penrith wasn’t prepared to release their tryscoring centre from this year’s contract.
Although struggling to crack a first grade spot at present, the Panthers are expected to use Naden during the State of Origin period this year.
It will be a battle for the rest of this season between Naden, Burton and Paul Momirovski for a starting centre spot alongside Stephen Crichton.Naden has been impressed at how keen Canterbury was to sign him for 2022 and 2023.
Allan Gainey, Naden’s agent, was reluctant to discuss too many details about Naden’s future but did concede: “We have done the rounds and Brent has spent three days at home with his family discussing things. Trent knows Brent inside-out. He knows what he can get out of Brent and how to develop him.”
Naden’s rejection does show how players are currently reluctant to join Wests Tigers.
The Naden development comes as a passionate fan hung a large sign outside Belmore Sports Ground saying: “Mr Barrett, We Believe.”
It was pinned up on Monday, two days after Canterbury secured their first win of a season with an upset 18-12 win over Cronulla. The sign was still there on Tuesday, hanging near the entry gate, where all players would see it as they drove into training.
BULLDOGS – 2022
*Possible team
Corey Allen
Will Hopoate/Dallin Watene-Zelezniak
Nick Cotric
Brent Naden
Josh Addo-Carr
Matt Burton
Kyle Flanagan
Jack Hetherington
Jeremy Marshall-King
Dylan Napa
Adam Elliott
Josh Jackson
Luke Thompson
INTERCHANGE
Jake Averillo
Corey Waddell
Renouf Atoni/Matt Doorey
Raymond Faitala-Mariner
DEAL ME IN: BROWN OPENS UP ON EELS FUTURE
By Fatima Kdouh
Eels enforcer Nathan Brown has declared “I would love to stay at Parra”, as the powerhouse Western Sydney club confirms its commitment to retaining halfback Mitchell Moses “long term”.
Parramatta withdrew a two-year deal worth $1.1 million earlier this month after Brown and the club failed to come to an agreement following protracted negotiations.
Brown is off contract at the end of the season.
News Corp understands the two parties remain in ongoing talks.
The 28-year old forward has now publicly declared his desire to remain with the Blue and Gold after entertaining a potential switch to Manly.
“I would love to stay at Parra,” Brown said.
Last month, a move to the northern beaches for the forward appeared to be a genuine possibility. But after making a play for Brown, who joined the Eels from South Sydney in 2017, it’s understood the Sea Eagles could not match demands from the NSW Blues Origin forward for a four-year deal worth around $650,000 a season.
Despite generating headlines, Brown insisted the speculation surrounding his immediate playing future would not be a distraction on the field, as the second placed Eels build towards the club’s first premiership since 1986.
“The only way through these situations is don’t read anything or don’t act on anything just go out there and control what you can control,” Brown said.
“That’s [contract negotiations] part of being an NRL player, you know, these things happen in your career, and you’ve just got to take it on board, I guess. And yeah, it’s part of the game now everyone gets off-contract. And that’s part of the game … you just got to get on with it.”
Parramatta are also in ongoing talks with halfback Mitchell Moses, who has a two week deadline to activate a player option in his contract for season 2022.
Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos told News Corp securing Moses, one of the competition’s form halfbacks, for the “long term” was a top retention priority for the club.
“As we’ve said throughout we want Mitch at the club long term and we’re working through it with his management,” Sarantinos said.
It’s believed Moses is also on the radar of rivals Cronulla and Brisbane.
Despite watching Moses help dismantle the Broncos in Friday night’s 46-6 victory at TIO Stadium in Darwin, coach Kevin Walters insisted the Red Hill club won’t be looking outside if its own “structures” to shore up its halves stocks.
For the Eels, Brown and Moses are two of the 11 players off-contract at the club, including Blake Ferguson and Bryce Cartwright, looking to secure their futures beyond season 2021.
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Originally published as NRL Transfer Market: Parramatta Eels target Dane Gagai; Brent Naden set to join Bulldogs
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