BULLDOGS powerbrokers want to launch an $8 million play aimed at ensuring NSW State of Origin young guns David Klemmer and Josh Jackson and emerging halfback Moses Mbye remain at Belmore until 2020.

Sport Confidential has been told Canterbury-Bankstown directors have discussed making sure the trio are signed long-term, in the process cutting off poaching raids from NRL rivals.

Klemmer was channelling Mark “Spudd” Carroll and Mark “Ogre” O’Meley in State of Origin II on Wednesday night, revelling in the physical cauldron that is Origin football.

Jackson has long been considered a future leader at Belmore and is every-inch a Bradley Clyde clone from the late 1980s and 1990s.

With the trio currently contracted until the end of next year, Bulldogs directors want to table new four-year contracts which would total a collective $8 million and take the young guns through until the end of 2020.

Bulldogs CEO Raelene Castle was guarded about the detail but confirmed the club wanted to retain all three rising stars. “They’re a really important part of the Bulldogs future,” Castle said.

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media_camera Robbie Farah is unlikely to play again before Origin III.

THERE’S an x-ray doing the rounds of Robbie Farah’s grade three AC shoulder injury, showing a complete separation between bone and joint.

Considering it was only 21 days since the Blues no.9 sustained the injury in Origin I, his performance on Wednesday night goes straight into the debate about the bravest Origin performances of all-time.

Brett Morris’s effort to play game I last year with a busted shoulder was huge. But Farah’s effort is equally as brave, especially when you look at the X-rays.

When you think of all the tremendously tough Origin hookers — the likes of Cameron Smith, Danny Buderus, Steve Walters and Benny Elias — Farah has now earned the right to have his name mentioned in the same conversation.

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SPOTTED around The Rocks in Sydney was none other than NBA superstar James Harden, the Houston Rockets point guard famous for the “Fear the Beard” campaign.

Aside from LeBron James and Steph Curry, they don’t come any bigger in terms of superstars than Harden. Still in the NBA, there was an amusing cross-code warfare sidelight when it came to wishing Matthew Dellavedova all the best against Golden State over the last fortnight.

The Wallabies sent the first shout out to Dellavedova on Twitter, only for the AFL to desperately try and stamp some authority. With Dellavedova and Andrew Bogut both proud Victorians, the AFL was swift to try and let the Twittersphere know both were devout Sherrin fans. We’re calling it a points victory to the Wallabies.

ANTHONY Mundine has been telling those in his inner-circle a possible rematch against archrival Danny Green is his “super” fight — as in superannuation fund.

The two boxers, who share a mutual hatred, have been trading insults on social media for the last month as talk continues the pair will glove-up and get it on again, most likely at some point next year.

At 42, Green is still as fighting fit as ever. Contacted by Sport Confidential about Mundine’s “super” remarks, the cruiserweight world champion was only too happy to land one straight back on the button of his nemesis.

“Given he likes to tell everyone about how he’s Superman then I’m not surprised that he needs a super fund. That makes perfect sense. Tell him from me he might also want to take out some hospital cover.”

If the Green-Mundine rematch does make it off the tarmac, the duo would need to agree on a catchweight. Mundine was due to fight Austin Trout in the US this month but the fight had to be postponed after the Man suffered a busted eardrum.

The Mundine camp is awaiting word from Trout about when the fight might be rescheduled. If it falls over, Green or Daniel Geale are more realistic money-spinners on the home front.

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LARRIKIN horse racing trainer Wayne Hawkes might have pushed the envelope slightly too far by dancing on stage in a G-string at a parents-run trivia night for a Melbourne private school.

We like Hawkes and his front-foot personality, but we’re not sure the private school was quite as amused. They took the measure of writing to all parents about the “inappropriate behaviour”.

media_camera James Maloney looks set to head south to Cronulla.

SYDNEY Roosters five-eighth James Maloney is expected to sign with the Cronulla Sharks inside the next week, meaning the ex-NSW Origin pivot will be paired with Chad Townsend in the Shire next season.

The Manly Sea Eagles were also interested in Maloney but with his experienced agent, master negotiator Wayne Beavis, also in charge of negotiating for Sharks coach Shane Flanagan the cards are expected to fall in favour of Cronulla. Given the playmaker’s currently available on the market, it’s a smart signing. NSW Origin

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WHICH representative star continues to have blow-ups with a member of his NRL club’s coaching staff and is continually being told to pull his head in? The bloke in question is one of the most damaging players in the game on his day but can also be flighty and erratic at times.

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THE NRL appears set to green-light taking select Monday night football matches to the bush next season, especially after Fox Sports kingpin Patrick Delany came out as a strong supporter of the concept. It won’t be happening on a weekly basis but expect regional areas to score a massive victory when the NRL announces it will take some games on the road for next season.

media_camera Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson.

THE Ashes line-up for the First Test will be the beginning of a Baggy Green changing of the guard, with Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris fighting an uphill assignment to make the final XI.

With Mitchell Starc currently regarded as the world’s best bowler and Josh Hazlewood winning man of the series honours in the West Indies, one of the ageing champion quicks is expected to carry the drinks.

Starc’s accuracy at clean bowling his victims has smashed all sorts of records, with 30 per cent of his last 60 Test wickets being dismissed by the rattle of the stumps.

In other intriguing selection debates, opening batsman Chris Rogers is no guarantee of a walk-up start with Shaun Marsh piling on pressure.

And there won’t be room to accommodate both Mitchell Marsh and Shane Watson, so one of the all-rounders will miss out. Bring on the first Test at Sofia Gardens in Cardiff on July 8.

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PENRITH utility Lewis Brown has been told he’s free to look around for next season, with the ex-Kiwi international guaranteed to prove an extremely versatile pick-up.

“I’ve spoken to a few clubs and I’m hoping to have something sorted by next week. I probably won’t be able to stay at Penrith, they’ve got a little bit of salary cap pressure. It’s a bit disappointing, I love the club but hopefully I can try and make a contribution towards leaving them in a better position than when I arrived.”

The club we’ve heard Brown’s name linked to over the last couple of weeks is the Manly Sea Eagles.

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STILL on the Sea Eagles, we checked in with Penrith assistant coach Trent Barrett this week about where his coaching situation at the Panthers was up to and the ex-NSW Blues and Test five-eighth assured us it was business as usual.

But Penrith insiders have confirmed Barrett has hardly been sighted around the club in the last three weeks and is basically on gardening leave. It remains the worst kept secret in rugby league that Barrett will be the head coach at the Manly Sea Eagles next year, with John Cartwright tipped to sign on as an assistant.

media_camera NSW Swifts’ Caitlin Thwaites and Susan Pettitt.

THE NSW Swifts are angling to make it a bridesmaid’s trifecta when they tackle the Queensland Firebirds in Brisbane in the netball grand final on Sunday.

The Firebirds have finished runners-up for the past two seasons, with the Swifts aiming to make it an unwanted triple dosage. One player aiming to enhance her national claims will be Swifts goal attack Susan Pettit, who was overlooked for the upcoming World Cup squad.

Surely a big game on the biggest stage of all will force national coach Lisa Alexander into a rethink ahead of the Australian team being announced next Wednesday.

Fox Sports will broadcast Sunday’s grand final live in HD on 502 and will also broadcast the entire netball World Cup, which is 50 days away today.

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STILL in the netball scene and retired champion players Liz Ellis, Cath Cox and Sharelle McMahon are putting together a stage show to feature during the Netball World Cup. The trio, who all played more than 100 Tests for Australia, will star in a one-off show titled The Centurions at the Enmore Theatre on August 10.