The Canterbury Bulldogs have put paid to rumours linking them to Wests Tigers fullback Daine Laurie, with Head of Football Phil Gould insisting the journalists responsible should apologise.
The Daily Telegraph's Sports Confidential published the rumour yesterday, clearly without reaching out to either club for comment. When informed of the report, Gould took to social media to track down the source.
When told about the source, Gould addressed the matter directly on social media.
“This report is totally incorrect. Totally fabricated,” Gould said.
“I love Daine Laurie, I brought him to Panthers' academy. However, the Bulldogs have never discussed making an offer to this player. These people owe the Tigers, Daine Laurie and Bulldogs fans an apology.
Laurie and his manager are reportedly chasing a longer-term deal than that being offered by the Tigers, and it appears they may have been trying to leverage the alleged interest of other teams in hopes of securing a better arrangement in Concord.
While the Laurie rumour has been quashed, there are still a host of reports linking the Bulldogs to Panthers centre Stephen Crichton as they look to secure a permanent option in the fullback position.
The club's No.1 is still an issue, with Matt Dufty, Corey Allan and Jake Averillo all struggling to make their case for permanent selection over the last two years.