Parramatta facing $4m contract squeeze as NRL finals loom

Parramatta have about $4 million worth of talent ready to hit the open market on November 1 as they scramble to save their season.

Eels captain Clint Gutherson is one of several players coming off contract at the end of 2022. Picture: Getty Images

Parramatta’s mounting problems have been exacerbated by revelations they are facing a $4 million contract crunch heading into the closing months of the season.

The Eels are scrambling to retain a place in the top four as they prepare for Friday night’s game against South Sydney at Cbus Super Stadium, heaping pressure on club officials as they attempt to keep their premiership dream alive.

Parramatta have lost their past two matches and a defeat at the hands of the rampant Rabbitohs could leave them in danger of slipping as low as sixth.

There has been a school of thought that missing the top four is an advantage given it would mean avoiding an opening round match against Melbourne or Penrith.

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Yet dropping to sixth could mean a finals encounter with the likes of Newcastle, who are primed for a run at the top eight as they get their stars back and stare down a soft draw – their run home includes games against Brisbane (twice), Canterbury, injury-ravaged Cronulla and fellow finals aspirants Gold Coast.

With Kalyn Ponga, Mitchell Pearce and their forwards back to full fitness, Newcastle have the capacity to cause mayhem in the finals. It makes the next month crucial for not only the Eels, but the other sides locked in a fight for spots in the top four as they look to avoid making an early exit when the finals do arrive.

Parramatta has the added distraction of contract talks bubbling in the background given the amount of players in their squad that are about to enter the final year of their deals.

The likes of Clint Gutherson, Reed Mahoney, Ryan Matterson, Marata Niukore, Junior Paulo and Isaiah Papali’i are all coming off contract at the end of 2022. Five-eighth Dylan Brown also has an option in his contract for that season.

It means all are able to field offers from rival clubs on November 1, leaving the clock ticking on the Eels as they brace for the most important month of coach Brad Arthur’s career.

Brown has already been shopped to rival clubs and The Australian understands that the likes of Niukore and Papali’i are in the sights of others given they currently on modest deals and likely to command significant upgrades.

Papali’i joined the Eels on a deal believed to be worth about $140,000 this season. He stands to quadruple that wage when he re-signs, be it with Parramatta or another club.

Gutherson is the most prized asset and a clear priority, although his last contract talks suggest things won’t necessarily run smoothly. Gutherson went through a protracted period of negotiation with the Eels before he signed a three year deal in 2019 worth about $650,000 a year.

There is a school of thought that he deserves an upgrade on that contract given his worth to the Eels and the quality of his performances over the course on his latest contract. Some have suggested he could nudge the $1 million barrier, although the Eels are unlikely to stretch the budget that far given they have only just signed halfback Mitchell Moses on a lucrative deal that made him the highest paid player in the club.

Parramatta officials won’t panic. They were under the microscope earlier this year when the likes of Moses, Maika Sivo, Nathan Brown, Ryan Matterson and Blake Ferguson were up for grabs. All but Ferguson have since re-signed or extended their stays with the club – Matterson took up his option for 2022.