Inside the Sheds

SOUTH SYDNEY might be flying up the NRL ladder but the Bunnies are in a bit of a pickle about what to do with some of their senior stars away. The likes of Nigel Vagana, David Kidwell, Dean Widders and Shannon Hegarty have all been brushed out of the NRL side, with all but Vagana playing park footy with North Sydney in the NSW Cup. Between them, the quartet eat up about $1 million out of the Bunnies salary cap. It'll be interesting to see what new chief executive Shane Richardson pulls out of his hat here, because all of them are still contracted to the Rabbitohs for next season too.

NEWCASTLE look like shot birds after another horrific injury toll has hammered them at the wrong time of the season. NSW players Danny Buderus and Ben Cross, two key men for the Knights, are both out for the next month. We're tipping that'll mean the Knights are out of the playoffs at the business end of the year.

WESTS Tigers have signed former Roosters halfback Josh Lewis, who was originally a Tigers junior. The move means it looks increasingly likely Mathew Head will be outward bound from Concord next season and off to the Warriors. Since the departure of Scott Prince, the Tigers have been through some halfbacks.

THE very boring contract saga surrounding Mark Gasnier continues to drag on, frustrasting all Dragons fans. To be frank, you'd think the bloke could just make his mind up and say I'm with you or I'm out of here. If he wants to go and get bored playing rah-rah in France, sweet as, au revoir. Otherwise, stick solid with Saints and be honoured to be the captain of such a proud NRL club.

YOU'VE got to feel for the Bulldogs. Once one of the NRL's most consistent clubs, the Dogs have been on a downward slide every since the salary cap scandal and the darkest days are upon them now. But if there's one thing about the Bulldogs, they don't stay down long. They'll miss the finals but once Ben Hannant, Michael Ennis, Brett Kimmorley and Josh Morris arrive for next season, look out. Look for the Dogs to also sign Gold Coast prop Michael Hodgson in the next fortnight.