Legal team on the job: Andrew Fifita, seen here with the Prime Minister's XII in Papua New Guinea, will watch with interest how the Hasler case proceeds. Credit:AAP At least one club has expressed disappointment that they didn't get the chance to have a crack at Hasler before making their most recent coaching appointment. You wonder why the Bulldogs have gone down this path. It's been suggested to me that a legal battle could extend beyond February when the Canterbury board election is due to be held. Chairman Ray Dib will be able to tell those doing the decision making that the club has not wasted its money on a payout. If a deal is cut with Hasler after some legal argy-bargy then a confidentiality agreement can help the re-elected board through a tough time. But here's the kicker for Canterbury, which they may have hoped no one else would remember. Watching this situation with great interest is Andrew Fifita, his management and, more importantly, his legal team. You may remember that Fifita had a four-year, $3.2 million deal with the Bulldogs. It was a heads of agreement signed by Fifita, Dib and Bulldogs chief executive Raelene Castle. When Fifita made some comments about a potential rugby career, the Dogs saw it as a valid reason to bail out of the deal.

Fifita engaged a lawyer, who is still pursuing the matter. Fifita's team wanted him to get through the regular season and sign a fresh deal with the Sharks, but now both those things have happened, they are ready to act. If you think that Fifita would settle for a portion of that contract as a payout, you'd be mistaken. Now if you are looking for a potential club for Hasler to move on to, the Warriors would have enormous appeal. They have only ever reached their potential under Ivan Cleary and have the capacity to be anything if someone can just find the key. Hasler is the man to do it.

Matt's going nowhere for now There have been plenty of words said and written about Matt Moylan since the Panthers decided that tough love and counselling were the best options. The most comical are suggestions that he wants out to join a seaside club because he is a surfer. I've discussed this "hobby" with Moylan several times and he says he is "lucky to paddle a board". Not a sufer, dude: Matt Moylan has made no noises about wanting out of Penrith. Credit:Christopher Pearce Should Moylan's agent request a release, and if Panthers supremo Phil Gould was to grant one, half the NRL will have a crack at signing him. As it stands, Moylan has made no noises about wanting out, and he has had many opportunities to do so. Despite that, clubs are still readying themselves in case he does want to leave. The Bulldogs have had internal discussions about a player swap — Moses Mbye for Moylan — and the Storm are planning for the eventuality that Billy Slater wins a premiership with the Storm and retires. They'd like it known they are keen. The Sea Eagles have also been mentioned — and not because of the beaches. A big factor for Moylan would be knowing that Trent Barrett is set to be the long-term coach. Manly and Barrett are talking about extending his deal. Moylan sees himself as a five-eighth, making Manly a good fit. He could also slot in at the Sharks. And then there's the Tigers, where Moylan would reunite with Ivan Cleary. But all of this is speculation. It would be easy to understand that the Panthers would resist letting Moylan go. They have moved on Peta Hiku and Te Maire Martin to help accommodate the contract that Moylan has at the club.

Rumours about Moylan and the coach not getting along have been dismissed by the Panthers. Moylan met with Anthony Griffin late in the week and the word is that he and the coach have never communicated better. Is there a reason for any tension? Moylan's failure to attend an optional recovery session is said to have caused an issue between the pair. If anything, Moylan is feeling isolated from the playing group because of his injury and because several of his close mates have left the club. Some of the senior players and Moylan are not as tight as they should be. But that is something that can be salvaged. Dib keeping a close eye on Foran Bulldogs chairman Ray Dib has been heavily criticised for the club's handling of the Des Hasler matter, but he has been working hard on another issue: the resurrection of Kieran Foran. Dib has been in weekly contact with Foran and he probably knew he had to be given Hasler was about to be sacked. Dib is trying to put coping mechanisms in place for Foran if he strikes tough times again. Foran still has issues he is working through.

Dib is trying to get Foran engaged with groups that support people with mental health issues. The Bulldogs chairman has talked to Foran since Hasler's departure – the pair talked for two hours – and Dib reminded him of his contract situation. Foran has confirmed he will honour his deal with the Dogs, and they won't let him go. Foran has been back in Australia and is spending time on the Central Coast. He appears to have a new woman in his life, Karina Ormsby. She describes herself as a "Mumma of 6 bandits, fitness instructor and hairdresser". Foran posted vision of the pair together for the first time last week. The relationship is at least a few months down the track. Foran's life unravelled when he separated from the mother of his children, Rebecca Pope, last year. The NRL is sure to be monitoring Foran's off-field life as that was one of the conditions of his re-registration.

Bennett considers Carney Todd Carney and the Brisbane Broncos? The idea has been put to Wayne Bennett and he has been considering it. Bennett has never been scared of taking on a player with a troubled past. He has helped turn around the lives of Darius Boyd and James Roberts, and he's done a great job reviving Benji Marshall's career. Everyone scoffed when Marshall went to Brisbane, but he has proved he still has something to offer, and will be great for the culture of the rebuilding Tigers next year. Carney is ready to play for the opportunity to reboot his career in the NRL. Gal is here to stay

Paul Gallen took out his fifth player of the year award at the Sharks during the week – an amazing feat for a 36-year-old. There were plenty of quips about him continuing on after his deal is up at the end of next year. If he doesn't lose his passion for the game expect him to look at another season in 2019. This year his metres stats were only bettered by Jason Taumalolo in the forwards. And Gallen is on about a fifth of what the Cowboys enforcer is on. Tough at the top "My work as the chairman of the ARL Commission has meant that I haven't had an off-season for the past two years. This year looks like being the same, but there is Christmas Day ... does that count?" That quote was given to the Gold Coast Bulletin when commission chairman John Grant was asked what he was planning for his off-season. It drew a chuckle when NRL staff heard about it. Some may have said "and on the eighth day John created ..." We somehow doubt that Grant was as busy as he claimed. He certainly wasn't flat out when he was in England for the Four Nations. He only arrived back in Australia the night before a very important meeting with the club chairmen.

Last off-season was spent trying to rally support as club bosses looked to out him from his post. And, of course, there were his efforts in January to meet player manager Mike Newton regarding a Sam Perrett contract at the Bulldogs when Grant's No.2, Todd Greenberg, was the chief executive of the club. For the record, this column's offer to show Grant the text messages that prove that was what he was doing has not been taken up. Roosters' training ground closed The Roosters had a disrupted preparation this week – and not because of injury or illness. Centennial Parklands shut down the Roosters Kippax Lake training field. But the SCG Trust came to the rescue and team was allowed to train on Allianz Stadium before their huge preliminary final against the Cowboys. One more year for Heighington?

Chris Heighington is still hopeful of another year in the NRL, even though the Sharks have let him go. "I'm leaving it up to my manager, Wayne Beavis, but I think I've got another season in me," he said. Heighington is one of the great survivors of the game. He has two titles to his credit and if this is the end it's been a career he can be proud of. There have been talks with Newcastle and if that club is looking to rebuild its culture as well as its roster, they could do a lot worse than Heighington. If that doesn't work out, his personal training business, Chris Heighington Performance, is coming along well. Ryan still a man of league Loading

Beau Ryan has struck a big-money deal with Polasports sunglasses – and he is not forgetting the game that gave him his start. A percentage of the sales from the glasses will go to the Men of League Foundation. Danny Weidler is a Channel Nine news reporter.