The fight for Canterbury Bulldogs forward Jacob Preston is continuing, with the club increasing their offer again to the star second-rower.
One of the best second-rowers in the competition, Preston's name continues to vanish from the headlines as the Belmore-based outfit works desperately to secure his signature before November 1.
It's understood that seven or more clubs are internally ready to make an offer for Preston on that date if the Bulldogs don't manage securing his long-term signature prior to then.
That leaves the Bulldogs in a race against the clock, attempting to pull out all the stops to secure one of their best players.
Preston has gone back and forth on whether he'd be interested in re-signing with the Bulldogs this year, with the most recent reports suggesting he is still holding the line and will head to November 1.
Whether his mind will be changed by the latest offer, reportedly for increased money and over four years according to The Rugby League Insider's James Hooper, remains to be seen.
The Bulldogs are facing a slightly stretched salary cap, but it's hardly the worst in the competition, particularly with a big decision still to be made around Matt Burton, who is also off-contract at the end of 2027.
Preston and Viliame Kikau currently form one of the NRL's most deadly second-row combinations, but the potential of Preston would be a bitter pill to swallow for Cameron Ciraldo and his recruitment staff, with the club likely then needing to attack the free agency market if they can't pull off the deal.
The issue for the Bulldogs is potentially the real value of second-rowers climbing.
While there is no suggestion Preston has asked for seven figures, it has been reported in various weeks by multiple outlets that all of Liam Martin, Hudson Young and Samuela Fainu have either been offered or asked for more than a million dollars per season.
That in itself likely pushes Preston's value far closer to seven figures than the Bulldogs would ideally like, although Zero Tackle understands that if Preston's contract is in the ballpark of what he wants, he is more likely to stay at Belmore than leave.
A four-year extension would lock him down to the end of 2031.
