Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook has confirmed his club has an interest in signing Manly's Kieran Foran after Sea Eagles coach Des Hasler shut down speculation linking the five-eighth with a move to the Titans.
The 31-year-old New Zealand international is off contract at the end of this season but has yet to negotiate a deal for 2023.
Holbrook's side are in desperate need of an experienced hand in the halves after releasing Jamal Fogarty to Canberra in the off-season.
Reports surfaced on Friday that the Titans' capture of Foran was a done deal but Holbrook said the club was yet to come to any agreement.
"His name only got mentioned yesterday (and) I don't know where it'll finish," Holbrook said.
"(He brings) a heap of experience. An experienced older head helps young players.
"They are like the coaches on the field for us coaches so I think players like that help every player on the field."
Foran's status has caused an unwanted headache for the Sea Eagles as they prepare to welcome back Tom Trbojevic for Saturday's home game with Wests Tigers.
Foran's future at the club has been thrown into focus in the last fortnight after the manager of rising star Josh Schuster, who has been ruled out of the contest with a calf complaint, reminded the Sea Eagles of a promise that he would be moved into a playmaking role after beginning his NRL career in the back row.
Hasler said he wouldn't be entering into public debate about Foran's future on Friday, bluntly telling reporters: "This isn't the forum for that discussion."
There's no doubt, however, that the playmaker has played his best under the Manly coach since returning to the club in 2021 following injury-affected spells with Parramatta, the Warriors and Canterbury.
"It is a huge wrap to our HPU (high performance unit)," he said.
"How we go about managing the players goes a long way to that.
"But it is also I think being settled and being able to focus on your work is good as well."
Manly will aim to snap a two-game losing streak when they host the Tigers at Brookvale Oval.
The Sea Eagles have prop Josh Aloiai and back-rower Haumole Olakau'atu available again for selection but it is the return of Trbojevic which will undoubtedly act as a catalyst for a turnaround in results.
Trbojevic will line up alongside his two brothers, lock Jake, and young centre Ben for the first time at Manly's home ground and Hasler expects him to hit the ground running.
"He has such a physical presence and he's such a professional about how he goes about his preparation," he said.
"You'd much rather have him on the field than working in rehab.
"His transition will be pretty good. Tom does a lot of hard work behind the scenes."
