Will he stay, or will he go? The Bulldogs? The Knights? The Titans even? It’s a merry go-round that seems to have no end. Where will it stop? Nobody knows.
In spite of all this however, and despite the Knights opening talks with Jamal Idris, the Bulldogs remain confident in retaining their young centre.
Idris toured Ausgrid Stadium for three hours, and travelled up the F3 to do so, but Bulldogs CEO Todd Greenberg knew in advance, that Idris had planned to tour the city of Newcastle.
It was after their win against the Tigers on Monday night, that Idris approached Greenberg and informed him that he was going to inspect Knights HQ.
One of the main reasons perhaps for Idris to meet with Knights officials, is that the Bulldogs are yet to offer him a contract, despite the fact that they have been in talks with Idris and his manager for months.
“It was no surprise that Jamal went to Newcastle – we encouraged him to go,” Greenberg said.
“We understand this is a big decision for Jamal … but we have also made the point that it’s not a decision to be made on purely commercial terms.”
For the Dogs, they believe that commercially, staying in Sydney is a better decision for Idris, given that third-party deals are more abundant, and they are expected to mount a 3-year extension deal to Idris soon.
“Jamal has made it clear he wants to stay and we have made it clear he is a priority signing for us,” Greenberg said.
“Now it is up to us to come up with the commercial terms to make that happen.”
Idris arrived at Knights HQ just after lunch-time, and it was Knights coach Rick Stone, and recruitment manager Keith Onslow that were on hand to meet the young centre.
“It’s the first I’ve met him and I’ve got to say he really impressed me,” Stone said.
“He seems a very mature young guy. I know he has an affection for the town because he’s up here quite a bit; at the end of the day it’s obviously going to be his decision. [We chatted] about the footy side of things and … his aspirations in that regard.”