After announcing the re-signing of captain Clint Gutherson, Parramatta have hit back at critics suggesting the club is lowballing current players amid extensive talks to retain their star power.
Despite Gutherson recommitting for another three years, other Eels such as Reed Mahoney and Junior Paulo are yet to put pen to paper.
The accusations levelled at the club reached a fever pitch following a reported offer of just $425,000 for Isaiah Papali'i, who was named second-rower of the year at the Dally M awards.
He has since signed for the Wests Tigers, while Marata Niukore has also left the club.
The seemingly low offers have left the club in the headlights of critics, however, it should hardly come as a surprise - as at November 1, the Eels had over half of their top 30 off-contract, including a large chunk of their best 17 who took them into the finals yet again in 2021.
The ongoing talks which have failed to deliver another signature have prompted claims that the club's retention strategy isn't working, a claim Parramatta chair Sean McElduff refutes.
“Let’s come to the lowballing,” McElduff told the Daily Telegraph.
“To suggest we are lowballing is absurd. We have a retention strategy and we spend 100 percent of the salary cap.
“Unfortunately, there is also an external market for players and sometimes our offer it is not enough. The reality of the player market is that some clubs are willing to pay more to attract players.
“As a club there comes a point when you can’t go any higher otherwise you create problems in future years.
“We want to keep all our players. We try to compete on things other than price. It is like most things in business — if you compete purely on price you are probably going to lose because there is always someone who will pay more."
The comments from the chairman follow an odd statement a few weeks ago from the club indicating they were in contract discussions with all players following weeks of intense speculation and criticism directed at the club.
Papali’i was rewarded for an exceptional first season at Parramatta with an offer from the Tigers at around $600,000 per season, well above what the Eels offered. Niukore, who made his debut with the Eels in 2018, is set to join the Warriors in 2023 on a deal worth $2.5 million - or about $625,000 per season over four years.
The Eels were reportedly nowhere near close to matching that offer.
With Gutheron re-signing, attention has now turned to the still uncommitted stars, though McElduff remains confident they'll stay at the club.
“We will do whatever we can,” McElduff said.
“What I can say is that we will be trying to manage the club for both the short and the longer term. Over the last few years, we haven’t lost many players.
“Our on-field performance continues to improve year-on-year meaning our players are now in higher demand.
“I think this is a positive for the club. We see ourselves as a development club. Players come to the club and get better.
“We are losing both Isaiah and Marata in 2023. The reality is their market value has increased significantly since they came to the Eels and we have a salary cap limit."
Mahoney has recently been linked to the Bulldogs, with a big-money deal potentially luring him away from the Eels, though rival clubs have also shown interest.
Paulo, who has been at Parramatta for the last three seasons, is reportedly attracting interest from the Dolphins, though looks likely to sign a new deal with the Eels.
Parramatta also have plenty of other odds and ends to tie up, including Jakob Arthur, Haze Dunster, Wiremu Greig, Oregon Kaufusi, Makahesi Makatoa, Ryan Matterson, Tom Opacic, Hayze Perham and Ray Stone.
It had been reported last week that Matterson doesn't even have a deal on the table from the club, while the blue and gold are also waiting for Dylan Brown and Maika Sivo to make their minds up, with player options in their favour for 2023.