'Haven't spoken to him': Manly boss denies Jamal Fogarty contract offer after Ricky Stuart comments
Tony Mestrov has denied the Sea Eagles have offered a contract to Jamal Fogarty, despite comments from Ricky Stuart on Saturday night.
In the wake of Canberra's huge win against the Eels, the long-time coach was again quizzed on the future of his halfback for 2026 and beyond.
Fogarty had an option to remain with the Raiders for next year, but the club haven't enacted it by the round six deadline and he has since been linked with a move to Manly.
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Ricky Stuart speaks about Jamal Fogarty's contract. Getty/Nine
Reports surfaced last week that the 31-year-old had already been offered a two-year deal by the rival NRL club, which left Stuart questioning the legality of the situation.
"We want to keep Jamal," he said at the post-game press conference.
"We'll know early this week whether there has been contract negotiations with Manly or not over the last two or three weeks ... even though you're not allowed to do it.
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"We will sit down with Jamal early in the week and tell him exactly what we've got. He was very happy in regards to what I discussed with him early this week.
"I'll know if there's been prior communication with Manly ... I want to keep Jamal here."
While there was no direct accusation from Stuart, his suggestions that the Sea Eagles could have been tampering with Fogarty's contract before they were allowed to.
But according to chief executive Mestrov, that isn't the case.
"There's other players we're interested in, it doesn't mean we're talking to them," he told The Sydney Morning Herald.
"I've said we're interested in him. But we haven't spoken to him, we haven't made an offer and I've been really clear on that.
"There's nothing really more to say and I'm happy to leave it at that."
Manly is looking for a replacement for Daly Cherry-Evans, who will depart at the end of this season after a public contract saga.
