Eels coach Brad Arthur says the club “is in a better place than it has ever been” despite Parramatta losing several key players this off-season.
Star hooker Reed Mahoney earlier this week rejected a three-year extension tabled by Parramatta to instead take up a four-year deal with Canterbury for 2023.
Mahoney is the third Eels player to have signed with a rival club during this off-season, with back-rower Marata Niukore (Warriors) and Isaiah Papali’i (Wests Tigers) having already committed their futures elsewhere from 2023.
Arthur admitted the club had no chance of retaining all of its departees.
“We want to keep these guys, but it’s just impossible to do,” Arthur told the Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s impossible to have them all.
“Am I disappointed these boys have to leave? Definitely. I appreciate and understand it’s a brave decision from them – none of them have enjoyed coming in and telling me they’re leaving the club.
“Everyone has got a different situation or need from the game, and I can’t be the one that makes judgment on it.
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In some positive news for the Eels, skipper Clint Gutherson will remain with the club until the end of the 2025 season after inking a new deal earlier this month.
Meanwhile, prop Reagan Campbell-Gillard also recently agreed to an extension.
“We’ve tried to do the best we can in terms of managing our cap. This is more about management of the cap than what we think they’re worth. But I’m not panicking about it, I’m more than comfortable and I don’t take it personally. We will get more players, and we will develop more players,” Arthur added.
“The club is in a better place than it has ever been. It will be bigger than any of us.”
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