.... and much-the-same from the SMH
Orford could be lured to England
Greg Prichard | November 14, 2009
Manly chairman Scott Penn has admitted that if the club's halfback and captain, Matt Orford, has received a big offer from a Super League team, the Sea Eagles wouldn't be able to compete financially for his signature.
Speculation is rife that English club Bradford has made a move on Orford, who is no longer contracted to Manly as of the end of last month. The Sea Eagles have been saying since midway through last season that a deal with Orford was close to being finalised, but it still hasn't happened and there are obviously major issues in the way of it being completed.
Penn, who is heading up contract negotiations with Orford and several other players while the club goes through the recruitment process for a new chief executive to replace the departed Grant Mayer, said yesterday he had not heard from Orford or his manager, George Mimis, about a possible approach from Bradford or any other club.
He said he was treating the talk Bradford were chasing Orford as ''speculation'', and added there was an offer on the table from the Sea Eagles and he was awaiting an answer from the player and his manager.
Asked if they were in a situation in which Manly would not be able to compete financially if Bradford went in hard, Penn replied: ''It's probably fair to say that. We've put what we feel is a competitive offer forward, but if that was blown out of the water by any better offers that might be out there then there's not much we'd be able to do about that. We're already doing all we can.
''Of course we want to keep 'Ox', he's a major part of what the Sea Eagles are all about, and we're trying hard to satisfy his worth, but the fact is we've got salary-cap restrictions so there's only so much we can offer.
''The way I see it, there's a couple of things to work out and a deal will be done.
''I think it's fair to say it's close, but that's not to stop anyone from coming out of the woodwork with a huge offer.
''We've got a lot of internationals now who weren't internationals three or four years ago, and they command an international's salary.
''That's the reality you have to deal with under the salary cap, and we've put forward the best offer we can to Matt. We hope to finalise a deal there.''
It is understood the length of contract, as well as the financial terms, is a sticking point in negotiations. The Sea Eagles are apparently not prepared to make an offer for as long as 31-year-old Orford would like.
Penn said deals with two other off-contract players - wingers David Williams and Michael Robertson - were ''as good as done''.
Asked about speculation former Manly coach Graham Lowe would be appointed chief executive at a board meeting next month, Penn said the club was still going through the recruitment process, adding: ''We're short-listing at the moment and we haven't even interviewed Graham. He will be involved in the process, but there is no done deal there. There are some other candidates we want to talk to as well.''
