A week after salvaging the signature of marquee NRL recruit Kieran Foran, Parramatta are reportedly locked in a similar contractual dispute with NSW State of Origin player Will Hopoate.
The Eels have twice tried to change the extension Hopoate signed after months of negotiations with former CEO Scott Seward before he stood down, according to Fairfax Media.
The unsigned offers are a result of an investigation of what a club spokesperson says “was the small number of player contracts” negotiated by Seward, who was also in charge of the Foran deal, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Hopoate’s agreement still hasn’t been registered with the NRL.
His manager, former New Zealand international Tyran Smith, is refusing to go into details but told Fairfax Media on Thursday: “A contract is a contract, an agreement is an agreement.”
The Foran saga finally came to a close when it was confirmed late last Friday he would join the Eels from next season on a four-year deal worth $4.8 million.
A $1 million get-out clause has been removed, however Foran is free to walk should Eels coach Brad Arthur be sacked.
The club was also recently fined $465,000 for salary cap breaches, with the NRL additionally threatening to dock them four premiership points unless they undertook an independent governance review.
Carlos
Guest
We're not talking about an apprentice carpenter here. The guy is taking 800k a year from the club. As a fan I don't think he's lived up to his end of the bargain. I think he's the sort of person and player I like to see at the club but he needs to start earning the big bucks he's taking.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
IMO Hoppa has potential and at times has shown it(too little unfortunately).His efforts in the SOO series did little to enhance his reputation,in fact whiteanted it to be realistic. Maybe the arrival of Foran who is a creator for his outside backs ,will give him the confidence,which he seems to lack at present.. I do not believe selecting him for SOO,helped him.He would be shattered with his display or non display . He appears to me a good decent kid\,and I hope he reaches his full potential not only for himself,but his club and the game.
Tom G
Guest
Foran obviously hasn't followed this situation. It is a sign of things to come for him. Hoppa is yet another player whose career has stalled at the amateur hour Eels.
Carlos
Guest
Yep except Broncos have the magic ability to avoid busting the salary cap. Parra has to honour the deal and BA needs to somehow get this guy to play like the highest paid player in the team rather than the 2nd or third best winger.
Utah
Guest
It shouldn't take a young fit man 1.5yrs plus to return to form after such a break. Look at David Pocock. Out for 2 years with a serious injury. Returns to old form in about 4 weeks. Sorry, but what you see now with Hoppa is all you're going to get. Parramatta should cut their losses as soon as they can.
GTW
Guest
Are they fighting to keep him or to ensure he stops stinking up the place? The Mormon Mission that Jordan Rapana undertook resulted in him coming back very slowly to full form. He's a full blown terrier now, maybe Hoppa will get there too. I certainly didn't see Hoppa as SOO quality after his Mission.
xavialonso
Roar Rookie
Hoppa will come good. He has just started playing after a two year lay off. Its only been one and a half years since he has been back. Next year Hoppa will be a force, but Parra fans have to let him build on.
Don
Roar Rookie
I'd be doing everything I could to see him walk out if I was in charge of Parra. Free up cap space and send your scouts to the RWC in September to watch Samoa, Fiji and Tonga play. Grab 3 or 4 of their big fast backs for the same as you pay young Hoppa.
fazed
Guest
Jay I have no arguement with you on that, & if there are others involved with these contract mess ups, then they should be shown the door...... The past years since the emperor was dethroned equates well with his previous 5-10, if perhaps not better, meaning of course worse, the so called new era that swept out the old, certainly swept out some competant people as well as dead wood, but gee it also ushered in more dead wood then swept. Certainly the way things are heading now, there may be some pain still to come but, once the surgery is completed & the healing process has had time, my hope is that the future will indeed be bright.
Jay C
Roar Guru
It doesn't matter that he hasn't lived up to his hype fazed. He signed on for X amount of dollars. That is what he should earn. Every team in the NRL goes through these sorts of things. Look at Barba and Kennedy at the Broncos. You can't just turn around and say, well we don't feel like paying you that much anymore. It is a big part of managing your cap. The new management team should be partaking in a top down review of all business practices, which obviously includes contracts. So this is a positive (if forced) step. Hopefully Parra can overcome and be a force in the coming years.
fazed
Guest
Jay. Yes its convenient to blame Seward however he was responsible for the contract extensions & with the way things have played out at the club, for me its a fair call to review them. Not long back, in one of these Roar threads someone refered to Ryan Morgan not getting a centres pay, as he's no centre, from my perspective Morgan has played more consistent football this year & last than Hoppo has, I know which extension I would prefer to see signed. Also what sort of money is he going to get in the new contract that is held up? I certainly don't think he's worth anywhere near what had signed on for when he came to Parra, in the end he may well recapture some of old class but he needs much more continual football after the 2 years break, if Chrissy had to go back to Wentworthville to pick up his act, why not Hoppa as he should have been dropped. Steven Kearney was responsible for his signing, but did they really expect him to just pick up from where he left off? Dare I suggest those involved with his signing must have said yes.& I think there are some better no name players in the lower grades that would be better for the future.
Jay C
Roar Guru
The problem for the Eels is they signed him on BIG fullback money when he should be on average winger money. Blaming Seward is super convenient though.