Penisini’s rugby union pedigree has previously had him mentioned as a potential cross-code target following good mate Joseph Suaalii’s $4.8 million move to the 15-man game, but he sees his immediate future at Parramatta.
The Eels, meanwhile, have refused to budge on their offer to Brown, whose management has sought an upgrade to remove the first get-out clause in his lucrative deal, worth around $900,000 a year.
Dylan Brown, Mitchell Moses and Will Penisini all have contractual clauses in their Eels deals.Credit: Getty Images
Newcastle are one of several clubs monitoring Brown’s contract situation with interest given the uncertainty at their scrumbase and ability to offer a long-term, seven-figure salary from 2026.
An asking price as high as $1.2 million has been touted by Brown’s management.
While Parramatta have been in talks with Brown to remove the two contract options in his original eight-year contract, the club has held similar negotiations with captain Mitch Moses, offering an additional year’s extension if his get-out clauses are removed.
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Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos told this masthead last year that the club will look to limit contracts with player options given the headaches they often cause.
No club has more players with options in their contracts than the seven on Parramatta’s books – led by Brown, Moses, Penisini and Ryan Matterson (player options), Shaun Lane and Saxon Pryke (mutual options) and Josh Addo-Carr (club option).
“You always need to be able to manage your roster to maintain your ability to make decisions and not be paralysed,” Sarantinos said.
“We always need to make sure we have a very strong focus on that. If that means, in the future, limiting the number of player options – particularly the number of player options that come up at the same time – then that’s what we will do.”
Penisini will sit out Friday’s trial against the Knights, with his 19-year-old brother Richard returning from a ruptured ACL at centre in Parramatta’s first pre-season hit-out.
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