MITCHELL MOSES
Eels administrators fear they’re losing the fight to retain their star halfback. They have tabled a four-year deal which they believe is fair and reasonable.
However, it will fall short of what the Wests Tigers and Bulldogs are willing to offer, which is in excess of $1.2 million per season. Moses has a clause in his contract that allows him to stay with the Eels in 2024, but he has no later than April next year to trigger the rollover. Expect a decision much earlier.
LUKE BROOKS
For the Wests Tigers, this is as much about Brooks as it is Adam Doueihi and Daine Laurie. All three spine players are off-contract at the end of 2023 and the decision to retain Brooks beyond the final year of his 2023 contract will impact how much the club can spare for either Doueihi or Laurie. Do they ask the polarising halfback to take a massive pay-cut or do they sever ties all together? Of the three, in my view, Doueihi has to be the absolute priority. He’s an out-and-out footballer who has the size and skill to be one of the most dominant five-eighths in the game.
(DT)