Canterbury coach Des Hasler has laughed off claims he met with Manly five-eighth Kieran Foran last week to secure a deal to bring the New Zealand international to Belmore in 2013.
Foran has a clause in his contract which allows him to leave the Sea Eagles should Hasler depart Brookvale, and the 21-year-old is yet to put pen to paper on a new agreement since the two-time premiership-winning coach walked out of the club to take control of the Bulldogs.
Sydney Triple M radio station’s The Grill Team took a call from a cafe owner last week, claiming he’d served the pair coffee as they discussed terms for next season, prompting huge speculation a deal had been completed.
“It’s so interesting, it sounded like the kid that was doing it was a 12-year-old,” Hasler said on Tuesday.
“Is it the gorilla team on Triple M he rang? To think I’d be meeting him over a cappuccino in the middle of Belmore – I was right here training.
“I don’t know anything about it. All that can be said is that those players have to make up their minds what they want to do, and the rest is speculation.”
Hasler will face Manly on Friday at ANZ Stadium for the first time since his acrimonious parting with the club he’d enjoyed a 24-year association with as a player and a coach.
Constant speculation linking the Bulldogs with Manly players has incensed Sea Eagles fans, and although Hasler is expecting a rough ride from them, he’s unconcerned by it.
“I am fine with it, you can unbridle their passion and that siege mentality, but it is out of my control,” he said.
“My focus is that it is a round eight game and I think Manly will be similar, it is a game that we need to win.
“We are one and four over the last month and our focus is getting back into the winners circle. We took a lot of confidence from the way we played against Melbourne and we were buoyed by it.
“I think you can expect a really fast, open game of football.”