League: Dogs star on the market

The Bulldogs arrived in Auckland yesterday amid speculation over who star five-eighth Braith Anasta will be playing for next season.

Anasta has been the subject of a very public offer of A$500,000 ($550,000) a year from Souths and is also a target of the Roosters, who have money to spend after Luke Ricketson retires, Michael Crocker goes to Melbourne, Jason Cayless leaves for St Helens and Chris Walker goes to Wests.

Souths have A$2 million to spend and are also bidding for the signatures of Storm halfback Matt Orford and centre Steve Bell, who apparently want to stay together. Manly are also in the hunt, with the Storm trying to hold them.

The offers being put to Anasta are among many that go before NRL salary cap auditor Ian Schubert as clubs seek to avoid penalties and show they are not trying a Bulldogs-style rort.

There are a variety of means with which clubs can push the nominal cap of A$3.3 million out to A$3.6 million, and another A$300,000 can be spent on development players.

The nominal cap rises by 2 per cent next year to A$3.6 million.

Only the Roosters in the rich Sydney eastern suburbs support raising it higher than that.

And it's worth considering that in 2007, when the Gold Coast come on the scene, another A$3.6 million goes into the player market pool.

The Dogs realised some time ago that they had no chance of competing against the prices being bandied about for Anasta and apparently made it clear to his agent, and Willie Mason's, that they could not keep both - that it would be first-in, best-dressed.

So when Mason signed for A$400,000 a year over four years, Anasta had to go. After flirting with rugby, it appears he will sign for the Roosters.

After State of Origin 3, he said he regarded Roosters coach Ricky Stuart as the best he had played under.  

The market distraction does not bother the Warriors, who have won five of their six games against the Bulldogs at Ericsson Stadium.

The player distraction - whether Mason or Reni Maitua will play after long periods out injured - should not take their focus off a game they must win.

Both teams are desperate for victory as the season closes to the sharp end, and they languish just outside the playoff eight.

Both come off losses; both have been inconsistent through the season; both have way better potential than what is being delivered on the field.

The Warriors will gain a lift from news that their inspirational captain, Steve Price, may return to the game sooner than expected.

After visiting knee specialist Barry Tietjens mid-week, Price was given encouraging news about the state of rehabilitation of his knee.

He has been running increasing distances and will soon be able to start more strenuous training. If that goes well, he may be in the running to play the Raiders at Ericsson on July 24.

The Warriors and Bulldogs are one point apart on a tight NRL ladder and, as the last-gasp scramble to make the eight, and all the maths comes into play, that gap may not move much more than a point or two each way.

The Warriors have scored 64 tries this season; the Bulldogs 56. The Warriors have a positive points differential of 27; the Dogs are 35 in the negative.

Even the size of the score tomorrow may turn out to be important for both teams.

* Ericsson Stadium, 2pm tomorrow