Manly forward Tom Symonds is close to finalising a two-year extension in a timely boost for the club before their blockbuster clash with Penrith.
Several clubs have expressed interest in Symonds, w
ho is off contract at the end of the year. However, the former City Origin back-rower never wanted to leave the Sea Eagles and the parties have all but agreed to a new contract.
"I haven't signed a deal for next year yet," Symonds said. "Hopefully we're not too far away from sorting it out.
"It would be great to stay. Obviously Manly are a great club and it was a great change for me going there. We've been chatting to the club for an amount of time now. Probably we are not too far away from finalising things. It's not far away and potentially only weeks away from being sorted. I'd like to have it sorted before finals come around, that would be handy."
Symonds made his name, and first-grade debut, at the Sydney Roosters before switching over to Manly last year. Since then, he has made 34 appearances for the Sea Eagles but the latest negotiations suggest he will add considerably to that tally.
"Coming over to the club was a big change at the time but it didn't take long for it to turn into a good one for me," he said.
"There are great players and it's a great lifestyle on the northern beaches. I'd like to settle in for a few more years.
"Just the footy culture itself [is different]. No matter what else is happening around the club, the older boys in the squad have that influence to make sure we go out and put in a good performance no matter what.
"It's good to focus just on footy, they don't think about all that other stuff as much as they could do. Those guys who have been there for 10 years – Jason King, Jamie Lyon, Matt Ballin, Steve Matai, the Stewarts [Brett and Glenn], Choccy [Anthony Watmough] – having that core group sets a really good culture and makes it easier for guys coming in to fit into it. You only have to worry about your own role on the footy field."
There has been plenty of focus on the club's retention policy, most recently over whether Watmough will end his his career where he started it. Other challenges include retaining the outstanding halves pairing of Kieran Foran and Daly Cherry-Evans, who are both free agents after next year. However, the impending retention of Symonds – coupled with the recent re-signings of Peta Hiku, Jamie Buhrer and Jesse Sene-Lefao – has ensured the core group, which have been perennial finals contenders, remain together.
Despite, or in spite of, seemingly endless off-field dramas, Manly will make their 10th consecutive finals appearance this season.
"There has been a lot of adversity and I'm sure they dealt with plenty before I got to the club as well," Symonds said.
"They have obviously learned to deal with it pretty well. For myself, it's not too hard with so many good players around me, I just do my own job.
"We spend every day together but, when we finish after training, I'm always looking to hang out and get a feed together. On the weekend, I always try to have a beer together or socialise, I've always been like that.
"It's an important part of footy that can often get looked over, how important camaraderie is to a group."
The Sea Eagles host the Panthers at Brookvale Oval on Sunday, with both teams coming off losses. The Sea Eagles need to win to keep their minor premiership chances alive, while a loss to the Panthers could result in them dropping out of the top four.
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Adrian Proszenko
http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/tom-symonds-weeks-away-from-new-deal-with-manly-sea-eagles-20140826-108evk.html
