Bulldogs unlikely to have cash to lure Israel Folau away from rugby union

ISRAEL Folau's looks set to remain a Wallaby with mooted poachers the Bulldogs saying they can't afford the triple-code star.

ISRAEL Folau's future in the Wallaby gold looks likely to extend beyond this British & Irish Lions series and this season, with mooted poachers the Bulldogs saying they can't afford the triple-code star.

Folau has been linked with a possible return to the NRL next year, but Bulldogs chief executive Todd Greenberg said the club's recent splurge on retaining their current roster has made a successful bid for Folau doubtful.

"I've said consistently that I would love to see Israel playing rugby league again, I would obviously love to see him playing in the blue and white, but there has been no deal and no discussions had,'' Greenberg told us. "Given the difficulties of managing our long-term salary cap, it's unlikely.''

The re-signing of stars Aiden Tolman, Greg Eastwood, David Klemmer and Origin utility Josh Reynolds has squeezed the Dogs' finances, while they're also deep in negotiations to offer contract extensions for young prospects Dale Finucane and Josh Jackson. Unless centre Josh Morris defects to St George Illawarra, there is no chance the Dogs could get close to Folau's market price, which would be above $800,000-a-year.

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JAMES O'Connor's three-year deal with Sydney club team West Harbour increased suspicion that he is on the way to the Waratahs, but we understand he is most likely to remain in Melbourne for 2014. O'Connor's Melbourne teammate Kurtley Beale is tipped to join the Tahs in 2014, and the pair have been training alongside each other in Wallabies camp this week after Beale's stint in a rehabilitation centre for alcohol issues. "It's awesome to have Kurtley back, he brings intensity, and a good vibe,'' O'Connor said. "We know each other's games very well, whether I'm inside of him or outside of him. He knows how to sniff out a hole, and I just look for him.''

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RISING Western Force star Kyle Godwin may have been denied the chance of playing against the Lions this week, but he obviously sees a bright future in Perth after inking a new three-year contract with the franchise. Godwin is certain to be a Wallaby in future, with coach Robbie Deans known to be a fan of the young centre/playmaker, and his retention is massive for the Force, who more often than not have lost their elite level players. Force have also signed outside back Dane Haylett-Petty for 2014. The Perth-raised player had been playing in France but returned home and started against the Lions last Wednesday.

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IT'S a common point made when talking about the rarity of a Lions tour: Australia's most capped forward Nathan Sharpe didn't get to play against the famous red jersey. The only problem is it's not true, strictly speaking. Sharpe played against the Lions for Queensland in their tour match. "Yeah, I did play against them,'' Sharpe said this week in Perth. "We got rolled by 50 points, and we played with most of our Wallabies too.'' It was 42-8, for the record. Sharpe made his Test debut a year later.

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FORCE coach Michael Foley was asked if Sharpe had been considered for a comeback game to play for his depleted old club. Foley said while it would have been good, retirement had taken hold of Sharpe. "I think I have noticed an extra couple of tyres around his waist these days,'' he sledged.

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AUSTIN "motormouth'' Healy may have passed the buck on his meltdown column before the 2001 Lions decider (the Englishman says his ghost writer made it all up) but he's clearly not backing down from his sentiments about old rival Justin Harrison. In a column for the UK Telegraph, Healy bangs on about all the treacherous tricks the Lions can expect in Australia - mostly by dastardly journalists, in summary - but also revisits his description of Harrison as a "plank''. "I stood by my comment because, in my eyes, he was a player who spent most of his time running around the field to smack as many people as he could," Healy writes. "The response from the Aussie press was far from understanding. You would have thought I had murdered someone. I was pilloried yet, to me, I was simply saying what I thought. At least there was an element of truth in it!"