YOUNG gun Mitchell Moses has knocked back a $3 million three-year offer to remain at Wests Tigers and is asking for an immediate release to switch to Parramatta after signing a two-year deal with the Eels from 2018.

Two days after new coach Ivan Cleary told the Tigers players they needed to make a decision about whether they wanted to be on the team bus or not, the club is now faced with a tough decision.

Club boss Justin Pascoe has denied the request for an immediate release.

Do the Tigers dig their heels in and make him play out the rest of the season? Or do they let him join the Eels immediately because there’s no point having a player at your club who doesn’t want to be there?

Round 19

The decision is NOT about money.

If it was then the local junior would be staying at Concord.

The Eels have convinced Moses the best thing for his football development is to link with a strong pack of forwards with dynamic edge backrowers.

Mitchell Moses of the Tigers. Source: AAP

Beau Scott makes a damn good body guard. So too Manu Mau.

Given the basket case the Tigers have been for the past 18 months, can you blame him?

It’s a live hand grenade for new coach Ivan Cleary and CEO Justin Pascoe.

If Moses is granted the release he’s asking for, it could mean the local junior lines up against the Tigers in the Easter Monday blockbuster at ANZ Stadium in round seven.

From a Parramatta Eels point of view, it’s a huge coup.

They’re guaranteed to get Moses for next year and beyond but if they can lure him west for the rest of this season then they’re a genuine chance of competing for the premiership.

If it happens this season, look for Moses to play halfback and Corey Norman to return to playing five-eighth. Clint Gutherson is so versatile he can play anywhere in the Eels backline.

There are two very different versions of events in terms of why Moses has asked for an immediate release.

The Wests Tigers’ version is that the club pulled his $3 million offer on Wednesday morning. They put that statement out Wednesday night. If that’s true, then why did the club board only rubber-stamp the deal five days earlier?

Was it the influence of new coach Ivan Cleary? Possibly.

The Moses camp maintain they told the Tigers on Wednesday morning they were headed elsewhere in 2018.

They say that’s when the Tigers decided to play the salary cap line and pull the offer.

Wherever the truth is, one fact remains the latest offers to the “big four” were only submitted last Friday. Not four or five months ago. The whole charade smacks of a basket case club. Even worse, this could only just be the beginning.

Fox Sports’ chief NRL reporter James Hooper brings you all the big-ticket items in rugby league in his new weekly column, The Mail.

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THE NRL player transfer market is about to explode with big-name players trading clubs.

Wests Tigers coach Jason Taylor’s sacking and Cooper Cronk’s shock announcement about leaving the Storm have triggered a domino effect that could have implications for so many clubs.

For starters, the Wests Tigers look like they’re only going to retain one of the four favourite son local juniors who’ve created so many headlines over the last six months.

Ben Ikin, Nathan Ryan and Ben Glover are joined by Storm football manager Frank Ponissi to discuss the bombshell Cooper Cronk news and what it means for the club.

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Halfback Luke Brooks has agreed to a two-year deal worth $1.5 million.

That’s currently in a 10-day cooling off period.

Given the basket case that is the Tigers front office, there is no guarantee Brooks won’t change his mind.

Captain Aaron Woods appears set to accept a huge offer to join Des Hasler at Canterbury on a four-year deal, with the Bulldogs also making a play for James Tedesco.

The smoky for Tedesco’s services is the Sydney Roosters, who up until now have said they won’t be chasing the NSW Origin fullback due to a falling-out between chairman Nick Politis and Tedesco’s agent, Isaac Moses.

Tedesco enjoys a strong rapport with Roosters legend Anthony Minichiello. Over the course of the last fortnight, the Tricolours have become a serious player.

What powerful Roosters chairman Politis wants, he normally gets.

Forget all the speculation over the course of the last six months, the Tigers only formally tabled all four players their latest official offers last Friday.

Mitchell Moses and Aaron Woods of the Tigers. Source: Getty Images

Woods has been offered a four-year deal while Tedesco’s deal is for the same term worth $4.5 million.

It’s a two-year deal with a two-year option in Tedesco’s favour.

With the Tigers trio looking more like leaving than staying at Concord, the move will trigger a flurry of other activity.

It will mean Ivan Cleary has a huge cheque book to enter the open market.

Cooper Cronk’s departure from Melbourne will free up close to $1 million, while Billy Slater’s future could also mean the Storm are cashed-up with as much as $2 million.

Dragons pair Josh Dugan and Gareth Widdop are guaranteed to attract plenty of interest depending on where the other cards fall.

If the Tigers lose Tedesco and Moses, do they make a play? The latest moves have sent phones buzzing all over the NRL.

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THE rumblings about Kieran Foran linking with the Bulldogs next season are growing louder by the day.

The Warriors are still hopeful of having a crack at retaining the Kiwi Test playmaker.

Given the way CEO Jim Doyle has backed him, by rights they should be a strong chance.

The other big-name Warriors half off-contract is Shaun Johnson.

This is where things could get very interesting in relation to the Tigers and the Storm.

New Tigers coach Ivan Cleary coached Johnson to a grand final in his debut NRL season in 2011.

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THE way Paul McGregor has turned the Dragons from a pop-gun into a serious contender is one of the best storylines of the new season.

The same goes for Trent Barrett at the Manly Sea Eagles.

It’s ironic the two played in the 1999 grand final together for St George Illawarra, remain great mates and will face off this Saturday at Lottoland, AKA the old Fortress Brookvale.

Last season it took the Dragons 10 rounds to score 100 points.

This year they lead the competition in terms of points scored on 128 after five rounds.

They’ve also claimed the scalps of premiership favourites the Panthers and premiers Cronulla at Southern Cross Stadium.

At the start of the season McGregor was the coach plenty of people tipped to be the first sacked.

This time last year he’d agreed to a contract extension with the Dragons before the club pulled the deal when the losses began to mount.

After a brilliant start to the year, the next month will likely determine whether Mary earns a new contract with the Red V.

From our point of view, he’s already shown he deserves one.

After the Sea Eagles on Saturday, the Dragons face the Cowboys, the Roosters and the Storm. Yep, the Dragons are about to find out exactly how strongly they’re really travelling.