Dugan close to finalising deal with Dragons
Josh Dugan is on the verge of returning to the NRL after his manager met St George Illawarra officials on Wednesday to finalise a contract with the joint venture club. A source close to the deal told Fairfax Media that Dugan's manager, Paul Sutton, held talks with Dragons chief executive Peter Doust and recruitment manager Craig Young on Wednesday afternoon to settle the details. The NRL is yet to receive the contract from the Dragons for registration but it is understood St George Illawarra could announce his signing as early as Thursday.
The NRL has given no guarantees it will sign off on the contract immediately, but the Dragons hope to have the troubled fullback in their side for the round-nine clash with the Gold Coast Titans on May 12. It's understood the deal is for the rest of 2013 plus another two years, but that several clauses have caused delays.
The Dragons are wary of Dugan, who was sacked after round one by the Raiders due to a string of disciplinary breaches, bringing them into disrepute with his off-field behaviour, and are ensuring they are legally covered.
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They have been in negotiations with him since the
Broncos tore up their $2 million offer to him a month ago.
Dugan will not receive the $650,000 a season he did at the Raiders but it is understood the Dragons are only making an offer for the rest of this season with an option for the subsequent two seasons. The deal was jeopardised when allegations surfaced that Dugan had been involved in a brawl after a funeral in Canberra three weeks ago, but the 22-year-old has denied any involvement in a physical altercation.
The Dragons have also expressed some interest in dumped Canberra halfback Sam Williams, who will play for Mounties in the NSW Cup this weekend. Williams remains in Canberra's long-term plans and the club hopes to sign him to a new deal, despite the 22-year-old being dropped from the NRL squad just one match after making his representative debut.
The Raiders have finally made an offer and it is understood they will meet his manager in the coming days to try to finalise an extension.
''His manager's coming down and [Williams] wants to stay,'' Raiders coach David Furner said. ''Sammy said himself, he can't have that sort of game [he had against the Cowboys], you've got to have consistency. He's competing against three other halves, there's competition there.''
Meanwhile, Dragons captain Ben Creagh is certain the club can win another premiership in the next three years after he re-signed with the club on Wednesday. Creagh succeeded title-winning 2010 captain Ben Hornby this season and after his contract extension he will almost certainly play out his career in the Red V.
His re-signing comes after the Dragons committed to keeping coach Steve Price in the short term as well as luring Melbourne playmaker Gareth Widdop and Canberra's Joel Thompson to Wollongong next year.
Refusing to rule out their chances of lifting the trophy in October, Creagh is adamant the Dragons are showing they are on their way back to the top. ''I think the signings we've made in the past week or so shows the club is doing all the right things,'' he said.
with Chris Wilson and Tim Barrow
Link: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...alising-deal-with-dragons-20130501-2it5t.html
Josh Dugan is on the verge of returning to the NRL after his manager met St George Illawarra officials on Wednesday to finalise a contract with the joint venture club. A source close to the deal told Fairfax Media that Dugan's manager, Paul Sutton, held talks with Dragons chief executive Peter Doust and recruitment manager Craig Young on Wednesday afternoon to settle the details. The NRL is yet to receive the contract from the Dragons for registration but it is understood St George Illawarra could announce his signing as early as Thursday.
The NRL has given no guarantees it will sign off on the contract immediately, but the Dragons hope to have the troubled fullback in their side for the round-nine clash with the Gold Coast Titans on May 12. It's understood the deal is for the rest of 2013 plus another two years, but that several clauses have caused delays.
The Dragons are wary of Dugan, who was sacked after round one by the Raiders due to a string of disciplinary breaches, bringing them into disrepute with his off-field behaviour, and are ensuring they are legally covered.
Advertisement
They have been in negotiations with him since the
Broncos tore up their $2 million offer to him a month ago.
Dugan will not receive the $650,000 a season he did at the Raiders but it is understood the Dragons are only making an offer for the rest of this season with an option for the subsequent two seasons. The deal was jeopardised when allegations surfaced that Dugan had been involved in a brawl after a funeral in Canberra three weeks ago, but the 22-year-old has denied any involvement in a physical altercation.
The Dragons have also expressed some interest in dumped Canberra halfback Sam Williams, who will play for Mounties in the NSW Cup this weekend. Williams remains in Canberra's long-term plans and the club hopes to sign him to a new deal, despite the 22-year-old being dropped from the NRL squad just one match after making his representative debut.
The Raiders have finally made an offer and it is understood they will meet his manager in the coming days to try to finalise an extension.
''His manager's coming down and [Williams] wants to stay,'' Raiders coach David Furner said. ''Sammy said himself, he can't have that sort of game [he had against the Cowboys], you've got to have consistency. He's competing against three other halves, there's competition there.''
Meanwhile, Dragons captain Ben Creagh is certain the club can win another premiership in the next three years after he re-signed with the club on Wednesday. Creagh succeeded title-winning 2010 captain Ben Hornby this season and after his contract extension he will almost certainly play out his career in the Red V.
His re-signing comes after the Dragons committed to keeping coach Steve Price in the short term as well as luring Melbourne playmaker Gareth Widdop and Canberra's Joel Thompson to Wollongong next year.
Refusing to rule out their chances of lifting the trophy in October, Creagh is adamant the Dragons are showing they are on their way back to the top. ''I think the signings we've made in the past week or so shows the club is doing all the right things,'' he said.
with Chris Wilson and Tim Barrow
Link: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/...alising-deal-with-dragons-20130501-2it5t.html
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