Eels Blogs

BY LEAGUE INITIATIVE

July 23, 2023

 

Raymond Faitala-Mariner, the Canterbury club captain, and recent recruit, Ryan Sutton, have been given the green light to pursue opportunities at other clubs, despite having two seasons remaining on their contracts. The Bulldogs may therefore have more salary cap funds available for negotiation season commencing on 1st November. A source from the Bulldogs, who asked to stay anonymous, confirmed this allowance.

has been offered to Shane Flanagan, the incoming coach for the St George Illawarra Dragons. Notwithstanding, Flanagan’s priority right now lies in bolstering his middle forwards. Faitala-Mariner had been appointed club captain by Cameron Ciraldo, the new Bulldogs coach, in January of this year, merely six months after the club declared his signing until the end of 2025. He is now, however, free to depart if he discovers an appealing offer elsewhere.

Unfortunately, Sutton, who was signed this year from the Raiders for a contract worth approximately $500,000, has not been able to deliver up to the expectation his price tag bore. He spent five weeks in the NSW Cup in the middle of the season before returning to the top tier. Having encountered problems in adapting to the team’s defensive style, Sutton met with officials from the club to discuss his future, and like Faitala-Mariner, is permitted to engage in discussions with other clubs.

Canterbury has informed both Kyle Flanagan and Luke Thompson that their contracts, due to run out within a few months, are unlikely to be renewed. Off-contract players at Belmore include Braidon Burns, Declan Casey, Corey Waddell, Fa’amanu Brown, Jayden Okunbor and upcoming talent, Paul Alamoti. Stephen Crichton and Bronson Xerri are the only significant signings made by the club for the upcoming year.

Within the sport, speculation is rife about Wests Tigersassistant, Robbie Farah, transitioning from the coaching team to an administrative role. Farah has made it known to this club that his ambition is to be a general manager. However, the Tigers are yet to decide on the composition of their football department. A position might be soon available at Concord, as Tim Sheens is stepping down from his GM duties to focus more on coaching. It is uncertain what role Sheens will perform once his two-year term ends.

When asked whether he planned to shift away from coaching as early as 2024, Farah verified that the management aspect of the industry appealed to him, but he intended to continue assisting Benji Marshallfor the next year. If an administrative role turned out to be vacant, Farah would likely be a top contender. This may provide an opportunity for the Tigers to hire another assistant coach.

Josh Hodgson of Parramatta has revealed to his teammates that he has played his last game in the NRL. The seasoned hooker’s neck injury continues to give him trouble, and he may still require additional surgery. Consequently, Parramatta may be initiating discussions with the NRL about Hodgson’s medical retirement, and if his injury proves to be career-ending, the NRL might waive Hodgson’s 2024 contract from the salary cap next year.

Another issue is the Eels‘ substitute hooker, Joey Lussick, who was lured back to the club immediately amid a $50,000 transfer payment to the Super League team, St Helens. They didn’t let him go until they ensured a replacement.

On a positive note, the North Queensland Cowboys are hopeful that back-rower Jeremiah Nanai may enjoy a speedy recovery, missing only two to three weeks, following an AC joint injury in their game with Parramatta. Parramatta did not fair as well, with back-rower Shaun Lane predicted to be out of the game until the finals series after dislocating his elbow in their recent defeat to the Cowboys.