Sunday, June 06, 2004
Eels offer Riddell $270k as they go after big names
The Parramatta Eels have offered Mark Riddell a three-year contract at $270k per season, according to The Sun Herald today, and there have reportedly drawn up a hit-list of six big name players.
The offer tops the $250k that Cronulla has reportedly offered.
Riddell told The Sun Herald that: "The interest from Parramatta came from nowhere and I wasn't really thinking that I might end up there next year when I went out to meet them. But it was all good".
"The set-up at Parramatta Stadium is great and Brian Smith seemed like a really good bloke with good ideas. He said they were fair dinkum about buying some top players and I like that they've offered me".
Riddell is hoping to get a four-year deal and said both Cronulla and Parramatta "are flexible on that".
The story claimed that "Parramatta are understood to be impressed by Riddell's ability to use his size and strength to crack a game open" as well as his "growing maturity as an on-field leader".
Meanwhile, Parramatta will pursue Kurt Gidley, Timana Tahu, Frank Pritchard, Brent Kite and Matt Orford as well as Riddell, the same paper said.
It claimed Parramatta had $850,000 to spend and while particularly keen to sign a centre, a back-rower, "but if they can't get the right players in those positions they are prepared to be flexible and sign quality players in other positions".
The article said Parramatta see Tahu as a centre "which should appeal to him if gets serious about leaving the Knights".
The offer tops the $250k that Cronulla has reportedly offered.
Riddell told The Sun Herald that: "The interest from Parramatta came from nowhere and I wasn't really thinking that I might end up there next year when I went out to meet them. But it was all good".
"The set-up at Parramatta Stadium is great and Brian Smith seemed like a really good bloke with good ideas. He said they were fair dinkum about buying some top players and I like that they've offered me".
Riddell is hoping to get a four-year deal and said both Cronulla and Parramatta "are flexible on that".
The story claimed that "Parramatta are understood to be impressed by Riddell's ability to use his size and strength to crack a game open" as well as his "growing maturity as an on-field leader".
Meanwhile, Parramatta will pursue Kurt Gidley, Timana Tahu, Frank Pritchard, Brent Kite and Matt Orford as well as Riddell, the same paper said.
It claimed Parramatta had $850,000 to spend and while particularly keen to sign a centre, a back-rower, "but if they can't get the right players in those positions they are prepared to be flexible and sign quality players in other positions".
The article said Parramatta see Tahu as a centre "which should appeal to him if gets serious about leaving the Knights".
