Both clubs have spending capacity beyond Parramatta’s,as do the Dolphins with well over $1 million a year set aside for a marquee signing – Brown now joining a long list of players the expansion club has missed out on.

Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos said there was no deadline on the club’s offer to Moses or danger of Brown’s new deal tipping his halves partner out of the club,despite rival clubs anticipating exactly that.

“Keeping Dylan doesn’t have anything to do with the offer we have for Mitch,not from our perspective,” Sarantinos told theHerald.

“Mitch and Dylan have both been priorities for us and that remains the case. Our desire is for Mitch to stay,we’ve made that very clear to him and his manager and hopefully he does stay.”

Talks with rising centre Will Penisini,who coach Brad Arthur described as “someone the club wants to build around”,also continue after Parramatta tabled what is believed to be a three-year deal.

Penisini and Brown have been in the Eels’ system since the age of 14 and 15 respectively and lead a promising next generation of stars in the here and now for the club.

Brown’s priority was always to remain at the Eels and thrash out his long-term future – including negotiating multiple player options – once his World Cup campaign was finished.

“I feel we identified where I wanted to play and what the market was and worked positively with the club to secure my future without messing anyone around,” Brown said.

Sarantinos believes the Eels’ flexibility with his contract will be repaid by the Kiwi star in years to come.

“Dylan’s obviously going to have a long career in footy and we want him to be an Eel for life,” Sarantinos said.

“But at the same time we recognise that he’s a young man,there’s a long journey for us to go through.

“We’ll do everything we can and should do to ensure that Dylan plays out his career here. We’re confident that by providing that flexibility we’re putting him in an environment where all he will ever do is commit his future to the Eels.”

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