Rival NRL clubs challenge Canberra Raiders in race to sign Gold Coast Titans star David Fifita

Fifita and his manager David Riolo are yet to confirm the second-rower's future after it was discovered a clause in his Gold Coast contract was linked to former coach Justin Holbrook, who since being sacked has opened the door for the 23-year-old to explore other opportunities.

The Raiders went hard at signing Fifita in preseason, and though he chose to re-sign with the Titans, the free agency option has opened the door for Canberra to make another play.

But they aren't the only club hunting his signature, with the St George Illawarra Dragons also keen to nab Fifita as well as Tino Fa'asuamaleaui who had the same contract clause tied to Holbrook.

The move by incoming Dragons coach Shane Flanagan is set to add to the tension between the clubs, with star halfback Ben Hunt desperate to leave the Red V for the remaining two-and-a-half years of his contract to head back to Queensland, and possibly the Titans.

The Dragons like the Raiders have the cap space to put a serious offer forward to Fifita.

Canberra coach Ricky Stuart was reported to have proposed a four-year, $4 million offer to Fifita's management earlier this week, which is an increase on the $900,000, three-year deal they tried to land him on earlier this year.

Stuart and chief executive Don Furner have walked back suggestion of a $4 million offer due to league rules forbidding such actions towards contracted players, but have made their interest very clear to Fifita's management.

"We haven't put another contract in front of him," Stuart said on Thursday before the Raiders take on the Dragons in Wollongong on Friday.

"But if he was to become available we'd most definitely be interested.

"I believe it's up his management and David to exercise the option, so the ball is in their court.

"He's a wonderful player, which is why we chased him."

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Stuart said the Raiders are highly selective with their approach to targeting players on the open market, having lost big names in the past like James Tedesco, Kevin Proctor, Michael Ennis and Josh Mansour.

If they miss out on Fifita, Stuart is comfortable remaining patient and producing their own representative-quality players in-house too.

"Everybody that we've missed out on have either gone on to win a premiership, or gone on to represent their state or country, so our identification is correct, but we just can't go out and buy a player for the sake of looking really good in the media, making all our fans and members feel good for a month or so, and then that player not having the capabilities," Stuart said.

"I'd much prefer to keep developing our own, the way we are doing it.

"We've just developed two new Origin players this season [Hudson Young and Corey Horsburgh], and we developed two new international players last season in Matty Timoko and Seb Kris.

"So what we're doing is correct here and have a look at where we are on the table.

"The players we want to bring into this top 30 have to be players that are going to make us a better football team.

"It's very, very difficult business, recruitment and retention. A lot of that [extra money in the salary cap] goes to the top 10-15 percent of players in your squad."

Friday: St George Illawarra Dragons v Canberra Raiders at Wollongong, 8pm.

Canberra Raiders: 1. Sebastian Kris, 2. Albert Hopoate, 3. Jarrod Croker (C), 4. Matt Timoko, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Jack Wighton, 7. Jamal Fogarty, 8. Emre Guler, 9. Zac Woolford, 10. Joe Tapine, 11. Hudson Young, 12. Elliott Whitehead (C), 13. Ata Mariota. Interchange: 14. Tom Starling, 15. Trey Mooney, 16. Nick Cotric, 17. Peter Hola. Reserves: 18. Matt Frawley, 19. Danny Levi, 20. Hohepa Puru, 21. Xavier Savage, 22. Clay Webb.

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