Manly prop Aaron Woods has urged the Panthers to hand Dylan Edwards a hefty million-dollar contract before he hits the open market on November 1.
The Clive Churchill Medallist is earning a reported $500,000 per-season and both Woods and league legend Graham agreed that is significantly under his current value.
The 27-year-old has been a crucial figure in Penrith’s back-to-back premierships and Graham believes he is the perfect foil for the Panthers’ star-studded halves duo.
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“They’ve got him for peanuts, I’d pay a million dollars for him, what he does is he positions himself so well,” Woods said on Triple M.
“He gets his numbers right every time which a lot of fans understand get your numbers right, for your defensive line that is one of the hardest things to do.
“What Dylan Edwards does so well is he compliments Cleary and Luai,” Graham added.
“He knows they can do the X-factor things and Edwards just works his nuts off, gets everything right, makes himself available for opportunities.
“His effort is outstanding, he is all over the park and he lets Cleary and Luai take care of business.”
The Panthers have locked up James Fisher-Harris, Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo, Brian To’o and Moses Leota on long-term deals.
But along with Edwards, key players Jarome Luai and Liam Martin are free to negotiate with rivals for the 2025 season come November 1.
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Both Woods and Graham said Penrith bosses should prioritise Edwards’ signature and said the club can look within for replacements at five-eighth and in the backrow.
“I’d go the No.1, you have got to go Dylan Edwards, he’s the glue,” Woods said.
“They’ve lost Crichton, Kikau but not too dissimilar to Melbourne Storm when they went through their salary cap issues, they kept No.1, No.7 and No.9,” Graham said.
“They’ll have a look at who’s coming up.”
Graham also believes the Panthers have the negotiating power, with players wanting to remain at a club that is competing for premierships instead of taking a higher salary elsewhere.
“They will have a conversation and say this is our best offer,” Graham said.
“If you want to stay at this premiership-winning team and play with Nathan Cleary, Isaah Yeo and with all these great players… you are going to have to take (unders), we can’t give you your market value.
“We see the Roosters attract players for under their market value, players go their to win premierships.”
