Rival clubs are demanding the NRL provide full details of the measures taken by Parramatta to get under the salary cap for the remainder of this season, including the way any dispensation granted for Anthony Watmough's premature retirement is calculated.
The Eels formally submitted an application to the NRL for Watmough to retire due to a career-ending knee injury and hope that will cover most – or even all – of the $570,000 they must cut from their salary cap to be able to play for points against South Sydney next Friday. However, other NRL clubs believe Parramatta should have to shed star players as Melbourne did when forced to release Greg Inglis after the 2010 salary cap scandal.
Playmaker Corey Norman is the player most in demand as he is off contract and has attracted interest from a number of rival clubs, but the Eels have also received enquiries about new Australian winger Semi Radradra, while speculation continues that Junior Paulo could head to Canberra after signing with the club for next season.
"The NRL needs to be really clear about how Parramatta is able to get under the salary cap," one club boss told Fairfax Media. "There needs to be some transparency about whether they get rid of two $300,000 players or one $600,000 player or however they do it."
While there is little doubt Watmough has a chronic knee injury, there is a belief that the timing of his decision to retire just days after Parramatta were stripped of all 12 competition points accumulated this season and fined $1 million is too convenient.
NRL chief medical officer Paul Bloomfield, who was Watmough's club doctor at Manly until 2012, will make one of the most scrutinised assessments of a player's fitness in the game's history when he rules on whether the former Test forward is able to continue playing.
It will then be left to NRL's salary cap auditor Jamie L'Oste-Brown to determine whether any of Watmough's $700,000 per year contract, plus third party agreements valued at $200,000, should be deducted from Parramatta's salary cap for this season. The Eels are seeking to have Watmough's retirement backdated to the start of the year but rival clubs believe the best Parramatta should expect is to have 50 per cent of his money reduced from the cap as he has already received six months of payments for this season.
"Why is Anthony Watmough retiring now, why wasn't it done before. It seems too convenient," a rival official said.
Another club chief executive said: "There was an anticipation that he was going to continue playing for the first six months of his contract for this season, that is why they continued to pay him every month".
The injury that has sidelined Watmough this season was a collision with teammate Beau Scott at training in February.
At the time Watmough was preparing to play in a pre-season trial against Penrith but the 32-year-old has not played since.
However, he denied reports several weeks later that his career was over and insisted he would return to the field this season.
Should Bloomfield accept Watmough's application to retire on medical grounds, it will be very difficult for him to attempt a comeback as he will not be covered by the NRL's insurance policy after receiving a pay-out for a career-ending injury.
North Queensland centre Brent Tate was forced into retirement after suffering a career ending knee injury in the 2014 State of Origin series and it is understood the Cowboys received a 20 per cent reduction of his contract from the salary cap.
A number of clubs who have played Parramatta this season are also unhappy about losing to a team that was illegally assembled because they were over the salary cap, while upcoming opponents expect the Eels to do everything possible to make sure they are under the salary cap.
Until the Eels get below the salary cap they will be unable to accrue any points but their opponents will only get the two competition points if they win.
