Des told me I'll be a Dog in 2018: Graham
May 15, 2017 - 6:26 AM Canterbury captain James Graham says he has been assured by coach Des Hasler he is part of the NRL club's plans for 2018.The English forward is signed with the Bulldogs until the end of next year, but the signing of prop Aaron Woods has prompted reports Graham could be squeezed out of the club.
The Bulldogs are facing mounting salary cap pressure for next season.
They have also landed Kiwi five-eighth Kieran Foran, while Graham's front-row starting partner Aiden Tolman is signed on until the end of 2020.
The pair have been separately been linked to Newcastle, but Graham said he had been assured by the club he would remain a Bulldog in 2018.
"I've been speaking to Des and the powers that be," Graham told AAP.
"The way I've interpreted it and what's been suggested to me is that I'm going to be here next year. I'm really happy to be a part of Des' plans."
Graham has been at the front and centre of the Bulldogs' speculation this year.
A regular on NRL television programs, he admitted he found it hard to avoid the rumours which suggested he could be forced out of the club.
Hasler has previously rubbished the rumours, and Graham said he did not intentionally seek out the coach to confirm his place at the club.
"We were just talking and it was just a conversation that went that way," he said.
"I asked him a couple of things and I came out of it pretty happy."
Graham turns 32 at the end of next season when he is off contract, and he said he has no plans yet for how long he will play on.
Nor is he committed to whether he will finish his career in the NRL or the English Super League, after he arrived in Australia in 2012 having already previously won the ESL's MVP Man of Steel before.
"I'm very open minded about where I'm going to end up," he said.
"There are too many variables and too many different situations that could arise.
"I wouldn't want to set myself up for disappointment if I said 'I definitely want to stay here' or 'I'm definitely going to go back home'.
"You're only one tackle away from having that taken out of your hands."
Source: AAP
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