‘Newcastle-type contract’: Eels urged to poach Tigers star amid targets to fill $6m Brown void
The Eels were planning to have Dylan Brown as their No.6 for the next six years, so could they offer Lachlan Galvin a mega deal to replace him or should they use the funds elsewhere?
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Brown’s eight year contract was set to expire in 2031, but clauses allowed the Knights to swoop and lure him to Newcastle on a historic $13 million 10-year deal.
It has left the Eels with a large chunk of cash in their salary cap to sign players with the money they had allocated for Brown.
Braith Anasta asked where Parramatta go now on NRL 360: “The Eels have been left with a wart chest, so who do they go after?” he said.
Brent Read believes the Eels should make a play at Tigers-five-eighth Lachlan Galvin, who is off-contract at the end of the 2026 season.
“I think the obvious guy is Lachlan Galvin,” Read said.
“He has got another year on his deal at the Wests Tigers and the Tigers are trying to convince Lachlan Galvin to stay long-term.
“But he’s the obvious one. He is a Parramatta kid, grew up supporting the club.”
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However, Anasta doubted whether the Tigers would let that happen.
“They wouldn’t let him go would they?” Anasta said.
“Well in 12 months time they might not have a choice if they can’t convince him to stay,” Read replied.
“He’s only got next year left on his deal.”
Phil Rothfield believes the Eels need to make a similar offer to Galvin that Newcastle made to Brown, an offer too good to refuse.
“I would be offering Galvin a Newcastle-type contract,” Rothfield said.
“People like Phil Gould are on record as saying that guy will win Premierships, he is a very, very special player.
“And I know he didn’t show it necessarily against Newcastle the other night, but I think he’s closer to a million dollar plus player than Dylan Brown.”
However, Read believes Galvin still has plenty of development left in him to reach Brown let alone the elite playmakers in the NRL.
“He’s had one year of first grade, he’s not worth more than Dylan Brown with all due respect,” Read said.
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However, after their 56-16 loss to the Storm in Round 1, it is clear the Eels have more holes to fill in their roster than simply five-eighth, so they could use the money to bolster other areas of their squad.
“Do they automatically try and replace Dylan Brown like for like or do they use that money for a No.9?” Dan Ginnane said.
“Do they actually need a big money No.6? They’ve got a class halfback that has won an Origin.
“There are clubs that don’t even have one class halves player. Do they put their money somewhere else or do they go for the five-eighth?”
Anasta believes Brown’s decision to join the Knights on such a unique contract, will have repercussions for the rest of the NRL halves market.
“This is a flow-on effect here in the halves market,” Anasta said.
“There is a lack of high quality halves going around and every team is after one.
“The majority of the sides outside the top six are looking for sevens and sixes.”
The imminent threat of expansion throws another spanner in the works, with Papua New Guinea joining the NRL in 2027 and potentially the Perth Bears soon after, which will have a dramatic effect on the player market.
“We’re not ever considering there’s an expansion team coming and they’re going to throw stupid money tax-free,” Ginnane said.
“And then you might have a second new franchise come not long after that in Perth and it’s just going to make the market even skinnier.”
The fact the Eels lost two outstanding playmaker prospects in Blaize Talagi and Ethan Sanders to Penrith and Canberra to try and keep Brown is even harder to swallow for Parramatta.
“We talked about the blow of Talagi going to Penrith, that young Sanders at Canberra is a terrific halfback,” Rothfield said.
“He’s going to be a big-time footballer, so would they have kept him if they knew this was going to happen?”
Now the Eels have to look at the off-contract classes over the next two seasons to find their solution to the Brown dilemma.
Of the off-contract five-eighths in 2025, Adam Doueihi and Te Maire Martin are two veterans that could fill the void, although they are not exactly like for like replacements for Brown.
Off-contract halfbacks in 2025 include Jackson Hastings, Jake Clifford and Drew Hutchison who could potentially play alongside Mitchell Moses as five-eighths.
In 2026, Galvin and Warriors star Luke Metcalf are the best five-eighths coming off-contract.
Halfbacks off-contract in 2026 include the likes of Chanel Harris-Tavita, Sandon Smith and Tyran Wishart, who could all do a job at No.6 for the Eels.
The other option is to use Brown’s money to go after a hooker, which has been a problem position for the Eels since Reed Mahoney left the club.
The off-contract hooker class of 2025 includes big names such as Brandon Smith, Jayden Brailey, Blake Mozer and Cory Paix.
A year later in 2026, the Eels could choose from such hookers as Phoenix Crossland, Blayke Brailey, Billy Walters and a potential reunion with Mahoney.
Whatever decision the Eels make they can’t afford to get it wrong because their first round thrashing by the Storm proves how far Jason Ryles has to go to rebuild Parramatta into a premiership force.
They put a lot of their eggs in Brown’s basket and it backfired spectacularly, so their next move on his replacement will be critical.
OFF-CONTRACT PLAYMAKERS 2025
Five-eighth
Adam Doueihi, Kieran Foran, Te Maire Martin, Will Pryce, Jaeman Salmon, Josh Schuster, Cody Walker, Ryder Williams
Halfback
Jake Arthur, Daly Cherry-Evans, Jake Clifford, Tom Duffy, Jackson Hastings, Drew Hutchison, Sean O’Sullivan, Niwhai Puru, Adam Reynolds, Brad Schneider, Toby Sexton, Chad Townsend
Hooker
Jayden Berrell, Jayden Brailey, Gordon Chan Kum Tong, Bronson Garlick, Harrison Graham, Riley Jones, Danny Levi, Soni Luke, Joey Lussick, Tyler Moriarty, Blake Mozer, Cory Paix, Brandon Smith, Luke Sommerton, Tom Starling, Jake Turpin
OFF-CONTRACT PLAYMAKERS 2026
Five-eighth
Jack Cole, Lachlan Galvin, Tyson Gamble, Luke Metcalf, Josh Rogers, Trent Toelau, Manaia Waitere
Halfback
Coby Black, Tanah Boyd, Gerome Burns, Jack Cogger, Adam Cook, Jamal Fogarty, Chanel Harris-Tavita, Dean Hawkins, Bailey Hayward, Zac Herdegen, Jahrome Hughes, Lachlan Ilias, Jock Madden, Kodi Nikorima, Jaxon Purdue, Sandon Smith, Connor Tracey, Tyran Wishart
Hooker
Blayke Brailey, Damien Cook, Lachlan Croker, Phoenix Crossland, Tallyn Da Silva, Harry Grant, Brendan Hands, Jamie Humphreys, Apisai Koroisau, Jacob Liddle, Freddy Lussick, Reed Mahoney, Cameron McInnes, Jake Simpkin, Sam Verrills, Billy Walters