It's not about what I think, these are the facts that have been submitted to the court in relation to Harte. The information is quite specific and had there been negotiations prior to this with SLR they would have been declared. To assume Appian has had any correspondence with SLR is pure speculation. It's quite possible that SLR was one of the four that submitted a non-binding offer, so Harte may have been aware of their interest but clearly nothing eventuated until November.
For clarification, the "Appian parties" does not include New Gold, it is only a reference to Appian AHG Jersey Ltd and the Appian affiliate ANR Investments.