News Harawira-Naera reportedly released

[Spoonman84]

Canterbury have confirmed Nick Cotric's poaching from the Raiders as Canberra ramp up their bid to lure Corey Harawira-Naera in the opposite direction with a two-and-a-half-year offer of their own.

Cotric's three-year Bulldogs deal was made official on Wednesday a week after the Raiders withdrew from the battle for his services, refusing to budge on their initial five-year offer to the NSW and Kangaroos flyer.

His signing is a serious coup for Canterbury and incoming coach Trent Barrett, whose own three-year deal was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon.

The Panthers assistant is believed to have got the ball rolling on his return to head coaching by weighing into the Bulldogs' efforts to keep Harawira-Naera at Belmore in recent days.

Barrett was Harawira-Naera's first coach when he arrived at Penrith as an 18-year-old from New Zealand, and had previously tried to lure him to Manly when he was in charge on the Northern Beaches.

Harawira-Naera is known to be a fan of Barrett's as he and teammate Jayden Okunbor continue discussions with Canterbury officials around their futures.

As it stands Harawira-Naera is contracted to the Bulldogs until the end of 2022 and it is understood Canberra have offered to cover the same terms of that agreement.

Raiders officials have told NRL.com they have not heard from Harawira-Naera's camp since tabling the club's deal.

"It's up to Canterbury. If they release him, we'd like to get him, but the ball's in their court. That makes up for John [Bateman] going that's all," Raiders chief executive Don Furner told The Canberra Times on Wednesday.

Suggestions of Harawira-Naera requesting a release from Canterbury have been consistently floated given interest from NRL rivals and the Bulldogs' hardline support for his contract's termination over a pre-season incident involving school girls in Port Macquarie.

He and Okunbor had their NRL deregistrations overturned last week, with the latter believed to still be keen to resume his career at Belmore.

Canberra have led rival interest in Harawira-Naera with the club targeting him as a long-term replacement for Bateman when he returns to Wigan next season.

Bateman was named on an extended bench for the Raiders this week having returned to contact training following a lengthy lay-off due to shoulder surgery.

The Raiders have been granted around $120,000 in salary cap dispensation to cover Bateman's loss this year as his injury occurred while playing for Great Britain late last year.

Any mid-season transfer must be completed before August 3, while Harawira-Naera is available for selection once more after serving the last game of his 10-match ban on the weekend.

He is believed to be at least a few more weeks away from being NRL-ready in terms of fitness, while Okunbor's suspension lapses in round 15.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2020/07/22...ulldogs-sign-raiders-star-on-three-year-deal/

 

[Spoonman84]

How can the Raiders even offer him a deal when he has two and half years remaining on his deal? Gut feel is he’s gone and they are just delaying the announcement for as long as possible.

 

[Kiwipup]

I thought you couldnt poach any player's until the last year off their contracts?

No doubt, no one follows this rule behind closed doors, but this is obviously out in the public?!

Am i missing something?

 

[bradyk]

I thought you couldnt poach any player's until the last year off their contracts?

No doubt, no one follows this rule behind closed doors, but this is obviously out in the public?!

Am i missing something?

Contracts don't mean much if a player really wants to leave. At that point it's usually better for everyone to let them go. A real shame if it comes to it. Good value player.

 

[Cosmo24]

How can the Raiders even offer him a deal when he has two and half years remaining on his deal? Gut feel is he’s gone and they are just delaying the announcement for as long as possible.

We better get someone else in return (not including Cotric)

 

[bradyk]

We better get someone else in return (not including Cotric)

Tapine maybe. Hasn't been good for a few seasons tho. I'd rather RFM on an edge. We're not going to get a player they want to keep in their starting 13.

 

[Spoonman84]

We better get someone else in return (not including Cotric)

It's an insane set of circumstances where CHN can hold any sort of power when he was in the wrong. I can't see us getting anything in return.

 

[Mr. Ditkovich]

I thought you couldnt poach any player's until the last year off their contracts?

No doubt, no one follows this rule behind closed doors, but this is obviously out in the public?!

Am i missing something?

Had the same thought.

Unless the club gave CHN permission to negotiate, it seems like a stupid move from the Raiders boss to publicly confirm this.

 

[Mr. Ditkovich]

I thought you couldnt poach any player's until the last year off their contracts?

No doubt, no one follows this rule behind closed doors, but this is obviously out in the public?!

Am i missing something?

Had the same thought.

Unless the club gave CHN permission to negotiate, it seems like a stupid move from the Raiders boss to publicly confirm this.

 

[The DoggFather]

Contracts don't mean much if a player really wants to leave.

Yeah the Bulldogs know this very well.

 

[Kiwipup]

It's a insane set of circumstances where CHN can hold any sort of power when he was in the wrong. I can't see us getting anything in return.

Its absurd!

Tallis sat out a year at the Dragons and coped it on the chin, yet this clown is kicking stones for a monumental fuck up he created.

Goes to show how today's generation is "very special" and soft as butter

 

[piggy]

If the dogs let him go then seriously they are pathetic!

 

[wendog33]

Had the same thought.

Unless the club gave CHN permission to negotiate, it seems like a stupid move from the Raiders boss to publicly confirm this.

Looks like we have caved in to allow Raiders to table an offer?

 

[flamebouyant]

How can the Raiders even offer him a deal when he has two and half years remaining on his deal? Gut feel is he’s gone and they are just delaying the announcement for as long as possible.

Very good point.

 

[B-Train]

There's cleary no such thing as tampering in the NRL. I hate that other clubs coaches and officials can put pressure on through the media and talk so openly about wanting to sign a player still under contract to a rival club for several seasons.

In the NBA, NFL, world football etc such comments attract massive fines and penalties. In the NRL it's par for the course.. It's a joke.

 

[flamebouyant]

Its absurd!

Tallis sat out a year at the Dragons and coped it on the chin, yet this clown is kicking stones for a monumental fuck up he created.

Goes to show how today's generation is "very special" and soft as butter

Fucking Ay men!!!!

 

[Mitch Connor]

It's an insane set of circumstances where CHN can hold any sort of power when he was in the wrong. I can't see us getting anything in return.

This. We aren't going to get anything in return. Raiders fans are reading this and laughing at posts suggesting anything of the sort lol.

 

[Bulldog_4_Life]

The club would've given him the right to talk to other clubs just like they did with Klemmer in 2018.

 

[Raysie]

I've lost all respect for CHN, so I'm happy for him to piss off. I understood the little beef he may have had, but he needs to grow up and own up on the fuck up HE made. I wanted him to repay the club, not stay just because Barrett is coming.

 

[B-Train]

It's an insane set of circumstances where CHN can hold any sort of power when he was in the wrong. I can't see us getting anything in return.

While he may well end up leaving for nothing, that would be poor management and a missed opportunity if he did.

If he insists on leaving, then I don't see the harm in sitting him out til the end of the season til we find compensation for him from another club. He's under contract for two more seasons after this one so it's not like the club has no power in this situation.