St George Illawarra playmaker and former teammate to Josh McGuire says the out-of-favour Cowboys enforced would be a "welcome addition" to the Dragons.
Last week reports surfaced suggesting McGuire had been told to look elsewhere for his playing future and is now permitted to hold negotiations with rival clubs.
Speaking after North Queensland's 48-10 loss to Cronulla, Cowboys coach Todd Payten confirmed the veteran forward would be free to assess his options elsewhere.
.@Cronulla_Sharks are carving up!
Another beautiful kick by Blayke Brailey ๐ฏ#TelstraPremiership #NRLSharksCowboys pic.twitter.com/9atTbLllj7
— NRL (@NRL) April 3, 2021
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โWe have had a conversation with his management and if he is able to secure an opportunity for next year we arenโt going to stand in his way," Payten said, perย Fox Sports.
Further reports from the weekend revealed the Dragons are circling McGuire and Sharks forward Andrew Fifita.
Adam Clune's name has been mentioned as a possible candidate to be involved in a player-swap deal between the Cowboys and Dragons that would see McGuire sign with the Red V.
Speaking toย NCA Newswireย after the Saints' win over Newcastle in Round 4, Dragons rake McCullough spoke on McGuire's future, stating his desire to reunite with his former Broncos teammate.
โThere are obviously rumours and loopholes in rugby league, but Iโm not too sure what the plan is. Heโd be a welcome addition,โ McCullough said.
โItโs one of those things where you donโt want to get involved so Iโll just leave that up to the guys at the Dragons and Josh to work it out.
โAdding any depth to our forward pack will only help, especially if itโs a bloke with his sort of experience. The blokes that are here are doing a fantastic job. Weโve won three on the trot and they deserve all the credit they get.โ
SEE ALSO:ย What has gone wrong for North Queensland?
Both McGuire and McCullough along with St George Illawarra captain Ben Hunt previously played under Dragons coach Anthony Griffin at Red Hill, featuring in the 2008 Toyota Cup Grand Final.
It is understood that the Dragons will be looking to sign McGuire and Fifita on reduced deals in order to lure them to Kogarah.
And a potential player swap is on the cards to help get the deal across the line.https://t.co/cfek2cTw8c
— ZeroTackle.com (@zerotackle) April 3, 2021
