Parramatta expect to have Anthony Watmough's salary dispute resolved in the new year as they prepare to consign the rampant tribalism of the past to the dustbin of history.
After a calamitous 2016 NRL season when they found themselves the subject of unwanted headlines all too often, their chief executive Bernie Gurr is upbeat about their future and declared them open for business.
The club is in the middle of negotiating a payout for former Origin and Australian star Watmough following his injury-enforced retirement midway through the year.
"It's still being negotiated. I've met with his manager a couple of times since I kicked my feet under my desk," Gurr told AAP.
"It's on-going. We're hopeful of resolving it early in the new year."
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Watmough retired one year into a four-year contract which was due to expire at the end of 2018.
He claims he is owed his contract money for 2018, because the clause for that season was in his favour, however the club argues that he was incapable of playing and therefore not entitled to that portion of his contract.
In a wide-ranging interview Gurr was eager to talk up the club's position after a litany of scandals this year including the salary cap saga, Kieran Foran's exit to address personal issues and domestic violence allegations against Semi Radradra.
The Eels will on Monday reach a major milestone in their governance reform process when nominations for independent board members close.
The Parramatta board was sacked in the wake of their salary cap breaches and an independent committee is set to appoint five independent directors, with the Parramatta Leagues Club to hold the other two chairs.
"They're going to bring terrific expertise and end the factionalism-driven activities that have been around Parramatta's board for about 15 or 20 years. That's an absolutely key brick in the wall," Gurr said.
The Eels are also on the lookout for a new sponsor with Gurr describing them as a sound partner despite recent woes.
"I think we're one of the most compelling major sponsorship propositions in Sydney," Gurr said.
"When you look at the economic development that's happening in western Sydney at the moment ... We're ahead of the Panthers, Bulldogs, Tigers, Greater Western Sydney Giants, Wanderers - no matter what metric you look at, we are still the No.1 in western Sydney.
"We had 23,000 members last year, the most we've ever had and that was in the environment of two years of calamitous headlines."
