The Canberra Raiders are growing more confident by the day they will re-sign Josh Dugan after the star fullback gave every indication yesterday he didn't plan on leaving.
Canberra is fighting to retain the off-contract 21-year-old, and ward off keen interest from Sydney clubs led by the Bulldogs.
But the Raiders remain the favourites to re-sign the Tuggeranong junior, and Dugan only reinforced that belief.
''In the end it comes down to my decision, and at the moment it's sticking with Canberra,'' Dugan said.
''To be honest, I'm not too sure what interest is coming from other clubs, my manager [Paul Sutton] tells me certain things and that stays between him and the club.
''My family and friends are here and I wouldn't stay if I was getting paid unders, you're only in the game for so many years and you have to do the best you can to set yourself up for after footy.
''Everything's in place at the moment, so I'm hoping it stays there and we can get that sorted.''
Dugan, his management and the club are all desperate to resolve his future before the Raiders start their NRL season against Melbourne on March 3.
Asked if he was satisfied with the Raiders' initial offer, Dugan, who played solidly in the All Stars match on Saturday night, offered only ''yep''.
Furner is attempting to organise third party deals to bolster Dugan's contract. It is understood the Raiders will require at least $750,000 to match rival offers.
Canberra believes the fact Dugan played State of Origin last year works heavily in its favour, as it refutes the view that its players are 'out of sight, out of mind' with representative selectors.
The Bulldogs are understood to be the Raiders' biggest rival in securing Dugan's prized signature. Coach Des Hasler is contemplating shifting live-wire fullback Ben Barba to the halves in 2013, and views Dugan as the ideal replacement.
The Roosters are also on the lookout for someone to eventually replace veteran custodian Anthony Minichiello, while Wests Tigers are devoid of a star fullback.
''I don't think it [before the start of the season] is so much a deadline, it's just something that everyone wants to get out of the way,'' Dugan said.
''I'm pretty keen to get my future settled and focus on footy. My manager's been in constant talks with [Raiders CEO] Don [Furner], so I'm hoping we can get something sorted over the next few weeks.''
Furner is due to meet with Sutton in Sydney or Canberra this week, and confirmed the negotiations remained positive.
''It's not like he's said 'I want to shop around', he's always said he wants to stay here if we get the money right,'' Furner said.
''Things are progressing well and there's no hurdles we've come across [so far]. It's good to hear him say that, because certainly that was our main goal this year [to re-sign Dugan].''
This reporter is on Twitter: @tuxy81
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