Generally, the relationship between clubs and media during NRL silly season is pretty straightforward. Leaks and murmurs come out about a certain individual's playing future, and his current team flat bats any questions about it. That's what makes Parramatta's club statement on Friday afternoon so peculiar. No, not the announcement that they'd signed Michael Ennis and Paul McGregor to their coaching staff as consultants for Season 2022 - one sent an hour beforehand, addressing the future of key players for next season and beyond. On face value, it says nothing surprising. It's a terse four paragraphs encouraging fans to drown out media speculation, to trust the club, and to be hopeful for the future. "Our approach is not to engage publicly in speculation regarding player negotiations," was one line that the club used. Then you've got key men like Junior Paulo, Clint Gutherson, Isaiah Papali'i and Reed Mahoney, who are also going into their final year under contract. Papali'i, reportedly, already has one foot out the door. It's also potentially a way for the club to subtly reassure fans that favourites like Paulo and Gutherson would be sticking around. Either way, after several years of treading water in the 'good but not quite good enough' part of the pool, the next two years are shaping as seismic ones for Parramatta.
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