Fijian international Maika Sivo looks set to be the second big name shown the door at Parramatta as incoming coach Jason Ryles overhauls the roster.
Sivo is under contract for another three years but is free to leave after a drop in form this season as the Eels have slumped to the bottom of the ladder on the back of coach Brad Arthur being sacked two months ago.
The 30-year-old speedster is a fan favourite at Parra and is on the verge of a century of tries at the club after crossing the line 98 times in his 111 appearances since his debut in 2019.
Sivo’s Eels deal is complicated. He is signed until the end of next year but then there is a mutual option for 2026 and a club option for the following season which the Eels are clearly cutting as part of their decision to tell him that he can sign elsewhere.
Ryles, who agreed to not poach any Melbourne players or off-field staff for at least 12 months as part of his early exit deal, is focusing on convincing teenage rising star Blaize Talagi to stick around.
Off contract at the end of this season after deciding not to exercise a clause in his contract, Talagi has been a revelation for the Eels in 2024 and is being groomed as the club’s long-term fullback with captain Clint Gutherson likely to switch to centre.
Other decisions loom on senior players.
Only two in Parramatta’s roster are locked in beyond the end of this season, in the form of Mitch Moses and Junior Paulo.
Others including five-eighth Dylan Brown have contracts for longer, but have options in their favour that they must decider whether to take up.
Still it means the vast majority of the Eels’ squad become free agents in November, meaning decisions must be made quickly.
Their top-heavy cap means Ryles may decide to release some of the club’s more experienced players if he is to allow for a greater balance in the roster.
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