Talks to bring Canterbury favourite Josh Reynolds back to Belmore in season 2020 have begun, as Dean Pay confirmed his interest in the Wests Tigers playmaker.
The Bulldogs coach said he was open to signing Reynolds, who is currently contracted to the Tigers until the end of season 2021, but that he had not spoken to him personally.
While Pay might not have made contact himself, News Corp Australia understands that Reynolds and his management held talks with Canterbury club officials on Anzac Day to discuss the local junior’s potential homecoming.
Any move now hinges on the Tigers and their willingness to release Reynolds from the final two seasons on his deal and the rival clubs agreeing on financial terms.
“It’s been tossed up in the media over the last few days … what we are interested in is some quality players and that’s what he is,” Pay said.
“Josh has to go through the Tigers and see where he is at with that, but again from our point of view, if that was the case we’d have to have a look at it.”
After 138 games and seven seasons at the Bulldogs, salary cap restraints forced Reynolds to walk away from the club. He signed a lucrative four-year deal with the Tigers only to be told he was free to look elsewhere in June last year.
A homecoming for Reynolds and a timely return from injury for playmaker Kieran Foran could see the experienced halves duo lead the Bulldogs around the park in 2020.
Before COVID-19 forced the season into a six-week suspension, Foran was set to miss at least 13 rounds. But the hiatus means the New Zealand international could be back in the first few rounds of the season resuming on May 28.
“He’s going really well, he’s done everything so far. He trained today and obviously there is no contact in our training at the moment so he’ll jump into some more intensive training over the next couple of weeks. That’ll have a big bearing on whether he comes back in the next round of footy or not,” Pay said.
The Bulldogs lost winger Jayden Okunbor and forward Corey Harawira-Naera on the eve of the season after the NRL deregistered the pair for their role in an off-season sex scandal.
They will also be without new recruit Joe Stimson after he suffered a season ending shoulder injury.
Rather than look elsewhere for a short-term fix, Pay is happy to turn to the talent within his own ranks to replace the trio.
But Pay will still need to go turn to the open market to fill the final three spots in his top 30.
“There’s been no footy over the last six or seven weeks, we’re always looking at bringing in some quality players and it has to be the right players, our squad at the moment has players that are fit and healthy so there is good competition for spots here at the moment but it’s quality players out there that we’re interested in,” he said.
