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Drinkwater appears destined to leave the Cowboys at the end of this season even though he\u2019s under contract until the end of 2027.<\/p>\n
In the wake of re-signing rising star Jaxon Purdue, the Cowboys gave Drinkwater permission to explore his options.<\/p>\n
According to the SMH<\/a>, the Dragons haven\u2019t wasted much time, tabling a three-year deal for the fullback.<\/p>\n Drinkwater\u2019s agent Gavin Orr, however, told Wide World of Sports<\/a> that the Dragons\u2019 bid was \u201cnot what we are looking for at this stage\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are going to have to come up with something better,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Current Red V fullback Clint Gutherson is all for the move, stressing he\u2019ll back it if it makes the team better.<\/p>\n \u201cThings like this don\u2019t bother me. That\u2019s the club, that\u2019s what they\u2019re doing, they\u2019re making our squad and our team better,\u201d Gutherson said.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always said in my whole career, I\u2019ll play wherever and it doesn\u2019t bother me.<\/p>\n While the Red V are now the short-priced favourites to land Drinkwater, two other clubs have been raised as potential fits for the attacking gun.<\/p>\n Drinkwater\u2019s former teammate Chad Townsend believes Cronulla would suit the fullback down the ground.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he could fit in the Sharks, to be honest,\u201d Townsend said on SEN\u2019s Saturday League Kick-Off.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a mature footballer now, playing probably some of the best football of his career.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019d be a great fit at the Sharkies.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Townsend\u2019s Saturday League Kick-Off co-host Denan Kemp thinks Gould and the Bulldogs should be closely monitoring Drinkwater\u2019s situation.<\/p>\n Although the Dragons are red-hot favourites to sign Scott Drinkwater, the Bulldogs and Sharks have been raised as potential landing spots for the fullback.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cIf you went outside of Reece Walsh, what fullback can essentially guarantee me six to 12 points a game? It\u2019s Scott Drinkwater,\u201d Kemp opined.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, if you\u2019re the Dogs, you\u2019re sitting there going, \u2018OK, what\u2019s our Achilles heel?\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cOur defence is good; we can keep teams usually below that 14 (point) mark.<\/p>\n \u201cIf we add 12 points onto that (in attack), all of a sudden, we\u2019re a premiership threat.\u201d<\/p>\n GUS\u2019 STARTLING CALL ON UP-FOR-GRABS TIGERS STAR<\/p>\n As the deadline nears for a 2027 mutual option to keep star fullback Jahream Bula at Wests Tigers next year, on-air comments from Bulldogs general manager Phil Gould have come under the microscope. <\/p>\n Bula has been sensational for the 4-1 Tigers this year and had his best game of the season against the Knights on Sunday, yet his future at the club remains cloudy.<\/p>\n The Bulldogs are rumoured to be one of the several teams interested in Bula\u2019s services \u2014 meaning Gould\u2019s comments on Channel 9 during the Tigers-Knights sparked close attention, even in Nine Newspapers<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s an athlete,\u201d Gould said. \u201cGee-whiz he\u2019s going to be a good player.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just creamy, so fluid, beautiful, like apple pie on a Sunday.\u201d<\/p>\n Gould must be somewhat careful with what he says about other club\u2019s players, due to a new rule the NRL brought in during the off-season.<\/p>\n Seemingly in response to Gould\u2019s public praise of Lachlan Galvin, before the young star ended up leaving the Tigers early to sensationally sign with the Bulldogs, the NRL introduced a gag order of sorts for club officials in a bid to clean up the messy November 1 anti-tampering deadline system.<\/p>\n \u201cClubs have been advised that the definition of tampering will now include certain public and private statements that could be seen as attempts to lure or entice a player to join another club,\u201d the NRL announced in a statement.<\/p>\n