Parramatta hope to use the appeal of next year's World Cup as a bargaining chip in an effort to convince Semi Radradra to commit to a long-term contract extension and abort plans to switch to French rugby, revealing negotiations with the winger's management had already begun.
There remained uncertainty about Radradra's future on Monday, with the 24-year-old due back from Fiji and at Eels training on Wednesday but not all at the club are convinced he would indeed return in time to prepare for Saturday night's match against top-of-the-table Cronulla and then see out his contract.
World Cup lure: Semi Radradra playing against New Zealand in May. Photo: Mark Kolbe
The club's interim boss, Ian Schubert, said the Eels had been given assurances from Radradra's manager, George Christodoulou, that he was definitely returning more than a week after the mid-season soap opera began when flying out in a bye round amid plans to join French Top 14 team Bordeaux.
Schubert said management would then set about trying to sign Radradra, who is contracted until the end of next season, to a long-term deal.
"We've been in negotiations about extending him out. We'll get him back, get him comfortable and back into the club and sit down and have those open discussions then," Schubert said.
"He has aspirations at the moment but he's very young and he hasn't reached his peak yet. He's got a bit of unfinished business in Australia, particularly given he's just secured a spot in the Australian team. There is a World Cup coming and we'd like to think he will be part of that going forward as well."
Radradra has personal matters he needs to resolve with Parramatta separate from the lure of French rugby.
But the Eels hope to make the case to the player, who made his Australian debut in May after switching allegiances from Fiji, upon his return that his future will be best served in the NRL, and at Parramatta.
Radradra is estimated to be on upwards of $325,000 a year including third-party agreements and Schubert accepted the winger would be demanding a pay rise to stay beyond 2017.
"For a player of his unique stature, I don't think he'll be playing for love," Schubert said.
"When you're an athlete like he is, as I've said before, there are plenty of options for you. While some just stick very solid to what they're doing, players of his enormous talent can be lured by the excitement of some of the other options. We just hope that the NRL is an exciting enough option for him to stay here.
"We want to make sure the NRL and Parramatta are providing the opportunities that Semi needs to go forward in his career.
"This is a very professional business. I hope he gets the right advice. He'll get the appropriate contract for his skills at this time of his career at this club."
Another signing priority for Parramatta, Jarryd Hayne, is also in Fiji endeavouring to make the country's Olympic rugby sevens team and Schubert said the door was open for the former captain whenever he was ready.
"Jarryd is his own man. He'll come to us when he's ready," he said.
"It'd be great if it was today, but we're in no rush. He's got some other plans at the moment but long term you never know where we'll end up."
Away from the Radradra sideshow, there has been frustration from Eels supporters about not having the club's final salary cap penalty resolved. They want clarity on how many games Brad Arthur's team would have to win after a deduction of competition points to mount a bid for the semi-finals but Schubert said he could understand the time the NRL was taking to produce a determination.
"The breach [notice] was substantive, the responses were substantive and the NRL are giving them due consideration as they should," he said.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/parramatta-eels-use-world-cup-as-lure-to-convince-semi-radradra-to-snub-french-rugby-20160627-gpss3l.html#ixzz4Cows4qIT
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Replies
Is the Australian Jersey worth nothing anymore?
If Semi wants money, let him go and get it from Union. You know he'd only leave after the World Cup anyway.
2. The more I hear from Schuey , the more I like him. It's great to have a professional at the club.
Fathead I'd have to disagree with your first comment, especially considering how hard it is to get out of the Australian team. I think if Semi is seen as the best winger then he'll be in that position. It'd be a brave man to say he is not one of the 2 best wingers in the game.
I completely agree with your second comment though. Schubert sounds like he knows what he is doing, and is exactly what the club needs at the moment. Hope we can offer him a full time job once the dust settles.
Tin Tim I doubt that there would be any eels supporter & fan that's not over this drama, likewise most RL fans would be as well, I know I am. I pondered whether to post this news or not, but considered it worthwhile to at least showing that the club is doing what it can in the trying situation.
Another post on Fox or one of the other RL links has the money he could earn in France at $35000.00 per week after tax, the town in which the team plays apparently has a large Fijian populance & the club made Semi an offer 3 years ago, along with 2 other Fijian players, the French club signs more Fijians than any other, so its a big pull for him.
If he returns & can be convinced to stay, & perhaps even extend his contract would be great & gives us certainty for a proven crowd puller as well as strength in the backs. The coach needs to also be signed & kept long term, but I am also sure that he is getting weary regarding the uncertainty as well. We are all in the same boat in that regard.
If he does not come back tomorrow, then he should not be playing on Saturday, & the team needs to be picked accordingly.
If he wants out, then let him go but he should not be paid any more money & should also be cut from the day he left Australia, & be not entitled to any money from the eels for the remainder of his contract. The French RU need to also make a stand & not grant him clearance unless he refunds any money he has received from the eels. The NRL should also disqualify him from returning to the NRL owing to his contract breach.
There has already been 2 players who have breached their RL contracts for their own good, both have been allowed back & there may also be others but, 3 is an out strike in Baseball & so should be in the NRL
Schubert really does seem like he is doing everything he can for us. Like what he says here very much and good on him.
Not sure how I feel about using the lure of an Australian jersey to keep Semi here with us. It should not be a lure, it should be an honour and many kids dream of wearing their whole lives?
Could that whole interview post semi selection be just pure BS from semi taking us all for ride...would be one of the better acting performances of NRL times. Surpassing even the Lyon dive this year.
Anyway, thanks for the great memories Semi and think carefully in case you want to return.
On the points decision delay, I'd rather the NRL take all the time in the world to consider the response (even if they are sitting on their hands doing nothing). At least there is a measure of validation that they are considering. Shame about the whole NRL process of spilling out the spew first. Don't get still, why all of this couldn't have been done behind closed doors first. At least for the sake of the parra club product, fans and game.
Greenberg could then still have his moment in the lights, just a little later.
I don't like the use of an Australian jumper being used for any player, even such things as telling a player if you come here, I will get you a SOO, or any other type of jumper. Could buy one from Peter Wynn & hand to them though, & promise fulfilled.
I also think the NRL would also object, my thought on what Schubert is saying though, is that he is not dangling the WC shirt in front of Semi if he stays at the eels, more the case Schubert is reminding Semi that he already has an Australian shirt against the Kiwis, but there is also next years World Cup, & likely other international tests that he make by staying put, Go to France & he may be no better than other wingers, look at Izzy, he was a worlf beater at first, now he's more contained, in the 15 man team.
The NRL really should be working with their whole board & integrity team to get the finalization of what they are going to do, sooner rather than later. I have no doubt that when reading other earlier articles that Schubert has been working with the NRL integrity officer Nick Weekes (think that's his name) in getting the cap position pretty well worked out.
In the same way he would be likely pointing out the areas that he had dug into during his investigation last year & where it fits in with the current situation, which mean Weekes would have a fair handle on things, & would have had time enough to go through each of the 4 submissions. The NRL would have the areas that they need to really check, those that are already known, along with those areas in the 5's submission that really need to be gone through.
They said they would hand down their final submission inside of 10 days, meaning they were allowing around 2 days to each submission, they may need to double that for each submission depending on each one, so perhaps 20 days, may be the go, meaning Friday next week they could be ready.
Supposition is always there.
As much as i like radradra i am now a tedesco believer.
Maybe radradra knows he wont make the side and was banking on the $20k per game.
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