Disgruntled Wests Tigers star Ryan Matterson has met with Parramatta as he explores a possible homecoming to his junior club.
Matterson was given permission to negotiate with other clubs late last month and is expected to turn out in rival colours next year despite having two seasons to run on his current Tigers deal.
NRL.com understands that Matterson met with Eels officials on Tuesday and is also scheduled to fly to the Gold Coast and meet incoming Titans coach Justin Holbrook next week.Parramatta coach Brad Arthur is on holidays and was not present at Tuesday's meeting, but both parties remain open to pursuing a possible move for Matterson back into the Blue and Gold.
The Tigers though have stressed they won't release the rising back-rower unless they also benefit from the deal.
Whether that involves a player swap or financial compensation has been discussed at Concord, but the Tigers hard-line stance looms as a significant hurdle for clubs pursuing the 25-year-old
Both the Eels and Wests Tigers are yet to make an official announcement on the matter.
Retiring Wests Tigers icon Robbie Farah described Matterson's dispute with the club as "beyond the point of return" last week, with the Tigers keen to have Matterson's future sorted before the next rugby league financial year begins on November 1.
Matterson is slated to earn around $350,000 next year under his Tigers deal, but would be able to earn a bigger payday elsewhere given his rise to NSW Origin 18th man honours this year.
Parramatta have identified Matterson as a potential back-row target having already beefed up their forward pack by securing Reagan Campbell-Gillard from Penrith.
Matterson started out as an Eels junior and captained their under 20s team as a halfback, but fell out with Arthur over the coach's push for him to play in the forwards.
The pair have since resolved their differences, though it was Holbrook who proved instrumental in taking Matterson across town to the Roosters in 2016.
Holbrook guided St Helens to his first Super League title last weekend in his farewell to the English powerhouse, and is set to take charge at the Titans in the coming days
Replies
Hey Colin, certainly could be a risk, but he's an experience finals player, something we lacked this final series. Our forward were destroyed by the Storm and I felt that our fowards really lacked that leader. JWH certainly would lead from the front with aggression. From what I can recall he's had a pretty good history with injury and yes the Suspension will be an issue, but you're going to get that with someone as aggressive as he is.
He was arguably the MOM in the final...
OK Pops, yes the money will always be a big turn off, but again you really are paying for his experience. Our weakness for the last how many years has been our forwards. You'd at least have to ask the question, how much the Chooks are prepared to pay and how much JWH would want.
CP. fair reply, and I don't disagree with the aspect regarding experience and an on field forward leader, we do have some quality players in the pack but generally that sits with Jnr and Nathan Brown primarilly, with RCG we get another player with experience but not so much a leader although he will not shirk his workload.
The judiciary aspect is my big concern, and its not just with JWH either, he has been let off following some incidents late this last season so carry over points are going to hog him, then we have NBrown who has some carry over points, more as the result of poor reading of his target and missing the legal mark. All we need would be to have two players of that ilk that are relied on to sit the sideline.
Pops, yeah its a real conundrum for me, as its something that has come back to bite me with Fergo. While he has been vg for the eels and added to that side of the paddock, there are some images that still come back to me in how readily he gave up on the chase for the Storms first try against us. Also he seemed to have been pretty well contained after coming back from his injury.
He's still with us for 2 more seasons and I hope that is not too long for him either and he can play as well as his overall season this year for the next two. Same aspect with MJ, no word on extensions to those still off contract at the moment either.
For me, I would still have preferred to have seen a couple of the younger players especially the forwards given a run off the bench in the last parts of the year, especially in place of Tepai, I am not against Tepai as such but he offered nothing really for a player in the eels pack as he was heading to RU end of season. To me a chances.
Matterson was in a pecking order at Roosters and accepted a reasonable offer to join Tigers from Ivan Cleary and this has proofed beneficial for Tigers. I really like him as well as most Tigers forwards as they all have a go. Love Chris Lawrence (reminds me of Gower), Twal and company as they all punch above their weight. I did think they would have had a better year than they did. Did I give Corey Thompson a honary mention. Sad if he leads Tiges but all chasing money now.
Whats the issue with Matterson anyway. Yeah he wants more money. He deserves more money. The tigers are hypocrites. What did they get back from the cowboys when they let they re best centre, Essan Masters, go.
Why on earth would we want a money hungry grub who will leave at the first chance of a better deal ?
You solve all this shit with a trade window. Simples. Two trade windows. One in the off season, one during the season and let teams have at it. Outside that, any team trying to negotiate with under contract players receives a trade window ban. Any manager found to have attempted to offload a player outside the trade window is automatically suspended for 12 months unless that player is moving to the super league or a different sport.
I'd love to see a contract inserted by clubs if they buy a player 12 months out from the end of their contract, that a severe drop in form can see the contract torn up.
Grunts, IIRC, the rule/time changed a few years back as it used to be in July, in the last year of the players contract. Forget the full reasons for the change but apparently it was meant to give both players and clubs a bit more certainty in contract negotiations, as the mid year time created more issues with players trying to secure their futures with clubs fiddling with contract negotiations.
Think it was very much seen as being worse than the current set up though.
Grunts, I'm not that fussed with it either, but there certainly was a change a while back now, and not really that many years ago either.
Let's not just hold this aspect with the players either, as one only has to look at what has happened in the last few years with the coaches,, dork bosses of the NRL and similar, lets not forget the refs either, I have a gut feeling there will changes in those ranks next season following the banshee's and their whistles this year.
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