The Parramatta Eels are gearing up for a confrontation with the NRL, focusing on the salary cap.
They have faced significant setbacks, including three players succumbing to season-ending injuries, totaling a loss of forty-nine games.
Now, the Eels are demanding explanations.
Chief executive Jim Sarantinos is set to take his concerns straight to NRL headquarters, advocating for salary cap relief and roster adjustments for clubs experiencing player sidelining due to foul play.
This initiative follows the devastating injury of Bailey Simonsson, who faced a dislocated ankle after a mid-air collision with Tigers winger Luke Laulilii at Commbank Stadium, adding to the challenges of a team already grieving the losses of J'maine Hopgood and Isaiah Iongi.
The statistics are alarming, and Sarantinos is candid about presenting them.
"We haven't had that direct conversation with the NRL yet, but I will be," Sarantinos conveyed to The Daily Telegraph.
"We have had a stack of injuries, and some of them have been accidents. But the reality is we have lost J'maine Hopgood, Bailey Simonsson and Isaiah Iongi - we have players who are going to miss 49 games through acts of foul play."
"The opposition are going to lose players for six games suspension in total. It's one thing to lose a player where there's no foul play involved."