Canberra plot revenge raid on Bulldogs as Cotric departs

Canberra are keeping a close eye on the Bulldogs as they look to hit back for the loss of Nick Cotric.

Canberra winger Nick Cotric has agreed to join the Bulldogs

Canberra’s plans to launch a tit-for-tat pursuit of Corey Harawira-Naera could hinge on further talks over the weekend as Canterbury officials weigh up whether the club is equipped for the return of the New Zealand international and his teammate Jayden Okunbor.

The Bulldogs were tight-lipped on Friday, having held separate meetings with Harawira-Naera and Okunbor to discuss whether they were willing to return to the club after having their contracts reinstated by the NRL appeals committee.

Okunbor is believed to be keen to resume his contract, Harawira-Naera less so. The backrower has interest from a slew of NRL clubs, chief among them the Raiders, who see him as the ideal long-term replacement for the departing John Bateman.

Their motivation to sign Harawira-Naera would only have been amplified on Friday after winger Nick Cotric confirmed he would leave the Raiders at the end of the season to accept a three-year deal with Canterbury, believed to be worth close to $2m.

The Australian revealed last month that Canterbury had expressed an interest in Cotric and his signature shapes as another key building block in the club’s revival, although it came at a hefty price tag.

Nick Cotric is a Canberra junior.

The Raiders made a lucrative offer of their own for Cotric, a Canberra junior, but pulled it off the table in frustration on Wednesday night when his camp asked for more money. It is understood the club was approached and told that Cotric would stay for an extra $25,000.

The Raiders weren’t willing to budge, their valuation largely based on their view of Cotric as a winger, albeit one who played a State of Origin game last year. It is understood Cotric was in tears in the Canberra sheds after their win over the Sydney Roosters on Thursday night as reality hit home that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season.

Canberra coach Ricky Stuart was loath to discuss Cotric’s decision, other than to say he backed the club’s move to pull their offer when the demands from his camp became too great.

“We offered him a deal and he didn’t want to stay,” Stuart said.

“He’s made his decision. My job is to maintain and build the roster. It is a business and I understand people have to make decisions.

“We will move on.”

Corey Harawira-Naera is a wanted man after having his contract reinstated

The Raiders are now expected to focus their attention on signing one or both of Jordan Rapana and Michael Oldfield. At the same time, they are keeping a watching brief on Harawira-Naera as he and the Bulldogs decide whether he has a future at Canterbury.

They won’t have it all their own way. Aside from Canberra, the Warriors, St George Illawarra and potentially Wests Tigers are all keeping a close eye on talks between Harawira-Naera and the Bulldogs.

Along with Okunbor, Harawira-Naera was deregistered by the NRL in the pre-season after the pair were found to have breached the game’s code of conduct in Port Macquarie when they brought women back to the team hotel.

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Several prominent players have already spoken of their desire to see Harawira-Naera and Okunbor back at the club and interim coach Steve Georgallis went public with his preference for the pair to be retained on Friday.

“We’ve talked about it as a playing group,” Georgallis said.
“I asked the players what they thought and they said, ’yes, we want them back’. And they asked me what I thought and I said, ‘yes, I want them back’.

“I referred that to the board. It would be great if they can sort out (on Friday) — if they have any issues with the club — and we can get them back as quick as possible.”

Georgallis takes over the reins after Dean Pay parted ways with the club on Monday. Penrith assistant Trent Barrett is the man in Canterbury’s sights and speculation is rife that he has already agreed a three-year deal to take over from the end of the season.

Georgallis had 11 games as an interim head coach at Penrith in 2011.

“Those 11 games (at Penrith) I really enjoyed and the feeling of being at the top of your game,” Georgallis said. “I feel the circumstances for me to take the interim coaching job here are not ideal with Dean going.

“Obviously Dean’s not going to be the first coach to be under pressure or resign, it’s going to happen in the future.

“If you said to me, ‘would you like to take over a struggling club?’ Yes, of course I would with the opportunity to coach first grade. It doesn’t come up very often.”