Canterbury not giving up on Newcastle granting halfback early release to join Kennel this year
CANTERBURY are hoping Newcastle will have a change of heart and grant Jack Cogger an early release to join Kieran Foran — rather than waste a whole season in reserve grade.
Bulldogs
Don't miss out on the headlines from Bulldogs. Followed categories will be added to My News.
CANTERBURY are hoping Newcastle will have a change of heart and grant Jack Cogger an early release to join Kieran Foran — rather than spend a whole season in reserve grade as the Knights’ fifth-string playmaker.
On the same day the Bulldogs confirmed Cogger would head to Belmore for 2019 and 2020, Knights officials formally told Cogger and his management he would not be granted an early exit.
Mitchell Pearce, Connor Watson, Brock Lamb and even out-of-favour Trent Hodkinson are all ahead of Cogger in the Knights’ halves pecking order.
Should the Knights start the season well and there are few injuries, they might only then be tempted to give Cogger their blessing to join the Dogs before the June 30 deadline.
Canterbury coach Dean Pay spent time with Cogger in the NSW under-20s team, and knows the chance to play regular first-grade football along side a player like Foran would be much more beneficial for the Australian Schoolboys halfback.
SUPERCOACH: Bulldogs study guide
HEART: Eastwood taking comeback slow
Pay said “we’d jump at the chance if Jack became available now’’, and would have no issues plonking the eight-game rookie in the halves on the back of a late club preparation.
As it stands, the two pre-season trials against Canberra on the Sunshine Coast and Penrith at Belmore Oval will decide if Matt Frawley, Josh Cleeland or Nu Brown gets the honour of partnering Foran in round one.
Kieran Foran will be given ”limited game time’’ in just one of the pre-season hitouts.
“I know Jack well and he’ll suit our club,’’ Pay told The Daily Telegraph.
“We’re looking for a young half we can move forward with, we have Kieran, so there’s a good opportunity for him to learn off one of the best.
“He’s a level-headed kid, he’s got all the skills, and Kieran and the rest of the group would help bring those skills to the fore. He’ll be a good fit for us.
“He’s already here for 2019 and 2020, so if he came early it would create healthy competition for the position. That can only be a good thing for the club.’’
The Knights signed Kalyn Ponga 12 months ago and had hoped North Queensland would grant him an early release, only to be forced to wait a season.
The Knights will weigh up injuries and the form of their halves by the early rounds before they re-visit Cogger’s departure.
“We formally requested a release, and they’ve formally replied, telling us he won’t be released. We’ll abide by the umpire’s decision and Jack will do his best for the Knights this year,’’ Cogger’s agent Michael Newton said.
Once the Gold Coast landed the signature of Brenko Lee before Christmas, the Dogs freed up more room in their cap to accommodate a player like Cogger for this season.