‘Manly CEO Dismisses Jamal Fogarty Contract Rumours Following Ricky Stuart’s Remarks’

Tony Mestrov has refuted claims that the Sea Eagles have made a contract offer to Jamal Fogarty, following comments made by Ricky Stuart on Saturday night.

After Canberra’s impressive victory over the Eels, the veteran coach was once again asked about the future of his halfback for the 2026 season and beyond.

While Fogarty had an option to extend his contract with the Raiders for the upcoming year, the club failed to activate it by the round six cut-off, which has led to speculation regarding a transfer to Manly.

Last week, reports emerged suggesting that the 31-year-old had received a two-year contract offer from the rival NRL club, prompting Stuart to raise concerns about the legality of the situation.

“We want to keep Jamal,” he stated during the post-match media conference.

“We should have clarity early this week on whether there have been any contract discussions with Manly over the past two to three weeks… even if such discussions are not permitted.”

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“We will meet with Jamal early in the week to update him on our plans. He was quite pleased with our previous discussions.”

“I’ll find out if there have been any previous communications with Manly… I am eager to retain Jamal here.”

While Stuart did not make a direct accusation, his comments hinted at the possibility of the Sea Eagles having engaged in discussions about Fogarty’s contract before being allowed to do so.

However, according to CEO Mestrov, this is not the case.

“We have interest in other players, but that doesn’t mean we are in talks with them,” he told The Sydney Morning Herald.

“I’ve made it clear we are interested in him. However, we have not communicated with him, nor have we made an offer, and I want to emphasise that.”

“There’s not much more to say, and I’m content to leave it at that.”

Manly is searching for a successor to Daly Cherry-Evans, who is set to leave at the end of the season following a public contract controversy.