The Wests Tigers have squashed any talk that they will make a play for Josh Schuster, but could have their eye on other players at the Manly Sea Eagles.
The Tigers have been heavily linked in recent days with a play for Schuster, despite the fact he is on contract with the club until at least the end of 2024.
The worthiness of his rumoured $800,000 per year deal has been debated ad nauseum in recent times, with injuries preventing him from featuring in even half of Manly's games so far this year.
It has been revealed he has lost almost six kilograms in a bid to return to full fitness though after playing a staring role for the club in a big win over the Canberra Raiders during his return match in the Nation's capital on Sunday.
So interested the Tigers were rumoured to be in Schuster following the addition of ex-Manly talent scout Scott Fulton, that it was revealed Schuster's agent and the Tigers were spotted at dinner.
That is now seemingly unlikely to come to anything though, with Wide World of Sports reporting the Tigers don't see Schuster fitting into their plans, although they could target other young Manly players.
"He goes okay but we don't think he is a good fit for us," a Tigers source told Wide World of Sports.
"We do have our eyes on a few others though."
That comes with the Tigers having released Joe Ofahengaue to the Parramatta Eels on Tuesday afternoon just minutes before the team list deadline.
That has allowed Ofahengaue to line up for the blue and gold this weekend, but has also freed up significant funds on the salary cap for the joint venture.
While it's being reported they could use those funds, combined with a reduced wage for Luke Brooks, to target Newcastle Knights and recalled State of Origin second-rower Tyson Frizell, a raid on the Sea Eagles would appear not to be out of the question.
The Sea Eagles, who have already let Alec Tuitavake and Viliami Fifita go this year to the St George Illawarra Dragons, will be unwilling to lose any more players, but with a talented crop of youngsters on the books, only bolstered by Monday's immediate signing of Jake Arthur, they are a club who plenty of rivals could be looking at with players unable to break into first-grade.
