Parramatta have tabled Keaon Koloamatangi a monster four-year offer in a bid to prise the representative forward out of South Sydney.
The Roosters are also monitoring the situation, given forward Angus Crichton is off contract and considering a switch to rugby at the end of next season. Perth also inquired about 27-year-old Koloamatangi’s plans, but were told he wants to remain in Sydney.
However, the Eels are shaping as a genuine threat to South Sydney’s bid to retain the former NSW and Tonga star. Sources not authorised to speak publicly told this masthead the Eels have weighed in with a four-year offer worth seven figures a season.
Parramatta officials, including coach Jason Ryles, have met with Koloamatangi and his manager.
Replies
Interesting but all speculation and the contract amount will be interesting; is he worth the 7 figures?
No!
BUT, realisically we will not know, even when its announced....my guess is it will be more likely 850/900 but there will be no judges to decide the winner.
Parramatta are odds on of getting this slightly above average forward for one reason only , Jim , Mark and the Board have been such epic failure and laughing stock when it comes to recruitment that if they faiil to get KK they will be absolutely hammered by fans and the media so they will offer a outlandish amount just to try and save face .
If the club are signing KK for the pure optics of landing a big fish and saving face, then they would be as silly as we are. The tail wagging the dog. I'd rather some keep throwing Poo Bombs until their final breath than that.
Well the the people who run the club have been a embarrassment when it comes to recruitment and they can't afford to miss out yet again because everyone will come out for them so what do they do to save themselves ? Offer a outlandish amount .
Public perception in the media and world is more bullish outside 1EE and our circles of contacts which is more Doomsday & Fatalistic. Birds of a feather stick together. Even the bookies, Sportsbet, has us 8th with the Sharks. We came second on the RLPA Players in club rankings. We would think that's meaningless for dopes, but to CEOs, Matt Cameron and Jim Sarantinos, it's a positive sign that the coaching, culture and environment within the club is heading in the right direction or at least players perceive that. There were positive signs for us in the last two months. I hope it's heading in the right direction. Time will Tell. I will watch with interest without assuming too much yet...
Don't mention Jim Sarantonis in the same breath as Matt Cameron , it's a slur on Matt .
They are different types of CEO's Frankie, Jim is a tradional finance backed CEO with a corporate management approach. I think he is learning pretty quickly about the football side of things. We and he did not have the experience or guidance that was having Brad Arthur in such a role as Ivan Cleary.
You may find that Matt Cameron has had a similar learning path about being a CEO from a corporate perspective, his football knowledge was ingrained and luckily evolved with the vision of Ivan Cleary.
One got lucky the other did not. Both may end up very similar over time as being knowledgeable running a football club. Even Matt Cameron had to put up with the various donkey's he found through Parramatta at a point in time.
One final point you seem to paint Jim Saratinos as some sort of unqualified idiot....... I think you are way of beam making such accusations from a vacuum of ignorance.
Stop and think for one minute, who were Parramatta's previous CEO's?
Frankie, you're a clever & successful man, and often correct.
The thing is we think the world of Matt Cameron now, and so do I. But have a look at what we said about Matt Cameron back in 2012. He was "rubbish" and a reason our juniors were stuffed. He was also a dope on here by our standards.
I like Matt Cameron a lot, and I have listened to him talk (many, many hours) but could you imagine this resume?
A former woodwork teacher, who didn't want to stay in coaching because it didn't have a secure income like his teaching days, and who didn't want to be a business leader or owner like his stressed-out dad. Would you hire him as GM or CEO based on that?
When was the last big name he signed, despite all their success? They have a similar issue to us in that we don't have the Billionaire Benefactors who dig deep in their pockets and pour millions outside the cap for R&R.
But he's down to earth, transparent, a thinker, clever and a realist. A great CEO, since 2022 after the Panthers had already started their premiership run. He also admits the footy programme follows Ivan Cleary's footy strategies, and just does his best to create the best environment possible to support Cleary. They all trust each other. But if Cleary isn't the great coach he is, they don't have their success.
In essence, regardless of what we think about Jim, that's pretty much what he's trying to do to turn the club around. Ryles seems to have potential, and my understanding is they all respect each other up top and are on the same page. He has my respect for that, and he's always been respectful of everyone around him and has the club's best interest at heart. I hope they succeed.
-
4
-
5
-
6
-
7
-
8
of 8 Next