Parramatta reportedly told Dylan Brown to take the cash on offer at rival club Newcastle who have signed the five-eighth to richest deal in rugby league history.
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The Knights have secured one of the biggest signings in recent history but the length and money involved have already drawn criticism.
It’s understood Brown has accepted a 10-year deal worth a whopping $13 million to join Newcastle from 2026.
There is a 10-day cooling off period but both Brown and the Eels have already released statements confirming they’ll split at the end of the season.
“I think he went back to Parramatta late last week and said ‘look this is the situation, I have to take this contract unless you guys can get closer to what I’m looking for’ and they said see you later,” Phil Rothfield said on NRL 360.
“Peter O’Sullivan, the Knights recruitment boss, a very good operator, he signed (Boyd) Cordner, he signed Latrell Mitchell, RTS and (Joey) Manu at the Roosters. At the Storm he signed (Greg) Inglis and (Israel) Folau, he knows what he’s doing.
“I rang him last night after watching Dylan Brown (play the Storm on Sunday) and said are you sure you’re going ahead with this deal because I thought he was really disappointing and he said ‘yeah we are’.
“If this guy is worth $1.3 million or $1.4 with ratchet clauses when the salary cap goes up, what does that make Kalyn Ponga work?”
“Is Brown really worth that?!” | 02:41
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Brent Read then explained the ratchet clauses mean Brown’s deal will increase if the salary cap goes up, but he emphasised he’ll never earn more than Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga.
“I understand why they’re doing it, this is a club that has struggled to find halves for so long now,” Read said.
“Last year they flipped and flopped, they had Ponga, they had Jackson Hastings, Tyson Gamble playing in the halves, so I understand why they’re going down this path.
“Fletcher Sharpe looks really encouraging in the halves, you put Dylan Brown beside him and that takes a hell of a lot of heat off Kalyn Ponga.
“Ponga is off contract at the end of 2027 and I think they need to show Ponga that they’re ambitious, that they want to win a comp and they want to surround him with the right people and I think this shows Kayln that.”
NRL premiership winner Braith Anasta criticised the length of the deal as an unnecessary risk for the Knights.
“I understand why they’ve done it, they are rolling the dice, they’re taking a huge gamble, he’s not a genuine 7, they still need a 7, I don’t think he’s going to get there and control the team,” Anasta said.
Where to for Parramatta from here? | 02:06
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“He’ll make Kalyn’s job a lot easier and Kalyn will be a better player for it and Kalyn wants to win a premiership and this shows they are making moves to do so but what I can’t get my head around is a 10-year deal, I just can’t. Did it need to be 10?”
Rothfield responded that it needed to be a circuit breaker deal to get Brown out of Parramatta.
“The way they see it is they’re a regular in the top eight, four of the past five years, but what they want to do is advance to the next stage where they’re a genuine contender,” he said.
“But yeah I don’t think he’s worth anywhere near that amount of money. The only 10-year deal I’ve seen work is Cherry-Evans at Manly. Look at (Jason) Taumalolo, he’s flat out making the starting side (of the Cowboys).
“And Brown is not the same level as DCE, he’s nowhere near that.”
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