Tigers legend\u2019s sad admission over club\u2019s latest messy saga<\/a><\/p>\nKeaon Kolamatangi has received $1 million a season offers from the Eels and Dragons.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
However few forwards in the game command $1 million a season and NRL clubs can get into trouble trying to build contenders, after overpaying for positions outside the spine players.<\/p>\n
Fletcher questioned if it is wise for the Eels to outlay such a big chunk of their salary cap for a middle forward. <\/p>\n
However, Hindmarsh believes a player is worth what a club is willing to pay and the Eels\u2019 need for an enforcer means Koloamtangi is worth the money. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the thing, supply and demand,\u201d Hindmarsh said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf a club is after someone, if they need that position to be filled, which I think the Eels do. I think they need someone else in the middle for a bit of grunt.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Eels are looking to extend veteran Junior Paulo and have signed another in Jack de Belin, but Hindmarsh wants a younger enforcer to lead the Eels pack into the future. <\/p>\n
\u201cJunior Paulo had an outstanding performance for Pacific Championships,\u201d Hindmarsh said.<\/p>\n
Brown begins life in Newcastle | 01:12<\/p>\n
\u201cJack de Belin will be great buy just to keep that middle tight. Just his experience and his leadership, so I\u2019m looking forward to seeing him in the blue and gold. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut Keaon has great footwork, a good off-load, his defensive work\u2019s awesome as well and he has really matured as a middle player. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf the Eels signed him for a million bucks a year for four years, I\u2019d be happy with that.\u201d <\/p>\n
However, the Dragons have offered the same money over a longer five-year deal, after a well publicised approach to Koloamatangi that involved a helicopter ride to their base in Wollongong. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dragons have gone one better and they flew him down to the beautiful South Coast in a helicopter,\u201d Fletcher said. <\/p>\n
PROTEST: Tigers fans unite against club | 03:01<\/p>\n
\u201cThey took him down to the beautiful Wollongong Bulleye, where as Parramatta apparently put him on the river cat and took him up the Parramatta River. I know where I would sign if I had the option.\u201d <\/p>\n
But Hindmarsh believes the Dragons using a helicopter to recruit a player reeks of desperation and is a waste of the club\u2019s funds. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt wouldn\u2019t. Like, big deal,\u201d Hindmarsah said when asked if the helicopter ride would help seal the deal. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a waste of money. Did the club pay for that? Is it on the salary cap? <\/p>\n
\u201cYou know what I mean? What a waste of bloody money. Put him in a bloody chopper.\u201d<\/p>\n
Storm train without Asofa-Solomona | 01:06<\/p>\n
The Eels looked a different team when Mitchell Moses returned from injury last year and were one of the form teams at the back end of the season, before finishing 11th and Koloamatangi would certainly help improve the team. <\/p>\n
They also have the arrival of Jonah Pezet to partner Moses in 2026, but Hindmarsh believes the halfback remains the key to the team\u2019s success. <\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone says he\u2019s got to stay fit, which he has to,\u201d Hindmarsh said of Moses. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you look at the2025 season, the games he played the team is totally different, so he has to stay fit. <\/p>\n
Tigers extend Benji & name interim CEO | 03:08<\/p>\n
\u201cBut at the moment he\u2019s a little bit injury prone. He\u2019s been busted a fair few times. But he plays well. In saying that, he\u2019s been outstanding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fletcher put the Eels legend on the spot by asking what a pass mark is for the Eels in 2026. <\/p>\n
\u201cTop eight,\u201d Hindmarsh replied. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow that Isaiah Iongi is another season older and better. I think he\u2019ll improve. His back end of last season was outstanding.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Parramatta legend Nathan Hindmarsh is not a fan of overpaying forwards, but believes Souths\u2019 star Keaon Koloamtangi is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350885,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,689,45716,9421,193117,10122,30195,193123,3462,188013,193122,193121,2105,193126,181251,4536,4746,22326,190427,761,762,673,4495,158,677,9112,193118,16228,193124,193119,7889,193125,9420,54341,85,193120,670,40743,1651,4515,4526,15630],"class_list":["post-350884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-back-end","tag-benji-marshall","tag-bit-injury","tag-bryan-fletcher","tag-cameron-spencer","tag-club-pay","tag-defensive-work","tag-enforcer-inks-extension","tag-enforcer-means","tag-game-command","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-helicopter-ride","tag-holman-barnes-group","tag-junior-paulo","tag-mark-st-john","tag-mitchell-moses","tag-name-interim","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-new-south-wales","tag-newcastle-knights","tag-nrl","tag-oceania","tag-parramatta-eels","tag-parramatta-legend","tag-pass-mark","tag-player-reeks","tag-river-cat","tag-salary-cap","tag-season-offers","tag-shane-richardson","tag-spine-players","tag-sports","tag-storm-train","tag-sydney","tag-three-club-race","tag-wayne-bennett","tag-wests-tigers","tag-wollongong","tag-work-rate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=350884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/350884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/350885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=350884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=350884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=350884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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