A day after denying an alleged pursuit of Gold Coast superstar Tino Fa’asuamaleaui, Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould has held a meeting with off-contract South Sydney youngster Blake Taaffe.
This masthead obtained an image of Gould and Bulldogs recruitment manager Peter Sharp meeting with Taaffe at a restaurant on Tuesday.
Phil Gould meeting with Blake Taaffe on Tuesday.
Taaffe is off contract at the end of the year and has shown that he is capable of being a regular first-grader through his performances for South Sydney.
He was one of the Rabbitohs’ best in a losing side against the Bulldogs last week. Taaffe’s performance didn’t go unnoticed by the Bulldogs general manager, who is looking for talent to bolster coach Cameron Ciraldo’s squad for next year.
It comes a day after Phil Gould took exception to a News Corp report claiming that Canterbury were trying to lure Fa’asuamaleaui by offering him an investment in a pub owned by major sponsor, Arthur Laundy.
According to the report published on Sunday, Canterbury was attempting to entice Fa’asuamaleaui with a $4 million contract, as well as a stake in a pub owned by Laundy Hotels.
Addressing the report on Nine’s 100% Footy on Monday night, Gould said Laundy was “extremely upset”, before declaring the article was “made up”.
“This article has just come out of left field,” Gould said.
“Someone’s added two and two together and got five, again, along the lines of trying to destabilise our club, which has been a pretty common theme right throughout this season and, in fact, ever since I joined the club. It’s just a continuing childish thing they do. But that’s life in the rugby league world.”
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