The Parramatta Eels have locked down plenty of depth in their forwards, announcing the contract extensions of Makahesi Makatoa, Ky Rodwell, Ofahiki Ogden and Wiremu Greig on Sunday morning.
Greig's extension will see him remain in Sydney's west until the end of 2023, while Makatoa, Rodwell and Ogden will all remain as part of the Eels' squad until at least the end of 2024.
The Eels have been slowly working through a contract crunch, having had 18 players off-contract when November 1 ticked over, with all those players able to negotiate with rival clubs from that date.
While they have lost Marata Niukore (New Zealand Warriors), Isaiah Papali'i (Wests Tigers), Reed Mahoney (Canterbury Bulldogs) and Ray Stone (The Dolphins) for 2023 and beyond, they have been otherwise successful in retaining key stars.
A player option for Dylan Brown was invoked on Friday night, meaning another of their squad will remain.
While today's forwards are all considered depth players, Rodwell and Greig have both been earmarked as stars of the future, while Makatoa impressed in limited opportunities following his debut during the second half of 2021. Ogden has joined the club from the Bulldogs where he was a fringe first-grade option.
Eels general manager of football Mark O'Neill said that the four signings were important for the club in an official statement.
โWeโre really happy to have these four men be part of our team, they have shown their commitment to the Eels through solid efforts in pre-season training," O'Neill said.
All four players have their best football ahead of them and we believe that with our coaching, and in our Eels environment, we will see this occur.
โThe quality and depth up front with our middle forwards will not only provide competition for spots, but also ensure we are well covered in case of any interruptions throughout the year due to Covid.โ
