The Redcliffe Dolphins are poised to ramp up their bid for Melbourne five-eighth Cameron Munster after the Storm under armed the Queensland State of Origin no.6 by offering a significant hair cut to remain part of the Purple Reign.

Munster is currently on $1.1 million this season rising to $1.2 million next year but so far the Storm have only offered the Maroons pivot a two-year deal for 2024 and 2025 worth around $800,000 per season.

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So the Storm are asking Munster to take a $400,000 hair cut per year.

The Storm had a huge victory earlier this week with the news Harry Grant and Jahrome Hughes are on the verge of re-signing with the club meaning the new Big Three will become the future Kangaroos no.9, the Kiwi Test halfback and superstar fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen.

But whether the new Big Three will become the new Big Four with Munster is still a huge work-in-progress.

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Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett and Munster are extremely tight from their time winning the State of Origin series for Queensland in 2020.

The duo were regular card game mates pairing up to play 500 in the Maroons camps.

Given the Storm’s current offer for 2024 and 2025, the Dolphins can see the opportunity and will be prepared to pay the Queensland Origin no.6 more like the $1.2 million he’s on with Melbourne next year.

The Dolphins aren’t expected to be the only club looking at Munster either, especially given the way he’s worked hard to turn his life around off the field in the past six months.

If the Dolphins offer Munster a three-year deal worth around the $3.6 million mark that’s going to be hard to knock back given Melbourne are only offering a two-year deal worth $1.6 million.

As much as it’s not all about the money, $2 million is a hell of a lot of folding.

The Storm have been dropping the weights on Munster heavily over the course of the past month to make a decision with a variety of different deadlines come and gone.

The Dolphins also went the smart play over the course of last weekend by bumping up their $1 million per season plus offer to Grant to ensure the Storm had to pay market value for the gun no.9.

We get the impression Munster won’t be rushing in to sign anything anytime soon unless the Storm offer gets a lot closer to what rival clubs are prepared to offer on the open market.

PLAYING IT COOL? PLEASE, THEY HATE EACH OTHER

THE poker faces from the Sydney Roosters this week have hardly fooled anyone.

You’ve only got to rewind to the sideline scenes at Suncorp Stadium last August to understand it’s going to be on like Donkey Kong when South Sydney host the Roosters in Friday night’s grudge match.

Back in round 24 last year it got so heated on the sidelines Roosters coach Trent Robinson had to personally step in when Latrell Mitchell was sin binned to make sure front row forward Jared Warea-Hargreaves didn’t get too up close and personal when the Souths fullback was leaving the field.

The language being directed at Mitchell from big Jared and some of the other Roosters who were sidelined at the time had all the colours of the rainbow in it.

By the time Mitchell was leaving the playing arena JWH was pacing the sideline like Mike Tyson preparing to enter the boxing ring.

Robinson – ever the rugby league diplomat – calmly ensured Mitchell and Waerea-Hargreaves kept things in check in front of the television cameras.

It didn’t finish there, either.

There was another standoff well after full time when Mitchell made his way towards the Roosters dressing room to enquire about how Joey Manu was doing.

“How do you think he’s doing – you broke his face,” was the response from JWH.

The two then exchanged some more colourful language before going their separate ways.

The Roosters have played the PR game perfectly this week by hosing down any suggestions about retribution on Friday night.

But there can be no question privately that will all go out the window once the Steeden goes sailing into the air at Accor Stadium.

This game is as high stakes as any high rollers room.

TIGERS SEASON BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND

Rival clubs have been privately laughing at the Wests Tigers over two incidents from round two.

In isolation, they speak volumes about about where the Wests Tigers are as a club right now.

The first was the image of James Roberts and Daine Laurie playing poker machines at one of the biggest pubs in Newcastle the night before the game.

The second was the Tigers winning the toss against Newcastle and then opting to run into the wind.

Yep, you read that correctly.

The Tigers are at pains to point out both players were back at the team hotel by 8.30pm and simply went for an ice cream and a quick punt.

We’ll let you decide what to make of that.

They’re also adamant the call to run into the wind was a tactical ploy designed to aid co-captain Ken Maumalo launch an aerial assault against Knights opposite Dominic Young.

The theory was the sun was going to be perfectly positioned to cause the six foot six Young problems under the high ball.

The reality was the Tigers performance was too error-riddled to ever look likely as Newcastle took full advantage of the opening half wind at their backs.

The Knights also had the local knowledge benefit of the Eighth Immortal Joey Johns who understands every blade of grass at the old Marathon Stadium.

Johns simply told the Knights to use the slight gradient on the ground and the wind to their advantage in the opening half and kick smart.

The Knights first two tries to Jake Clifford and Tyson Frizzell were effort plays that came off kicks.

Back to the drawing board for the Tigers.

THREE MORE YEARS OF PAIN FOR TIGERS FANS

TIGERS director of football Tim Sheens has a three-year plan aimed at turning the club’s fortunes around.

Sheens, an encyclopaedia on everything rugby league, has immediately hit the ground running by streamlining the best emerging talent available.

Over the course of last weekend, Sheens clocked up more than 600kms in the car in 72 hours to watch games at Leichhardt Oval, Camden, McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle and then NSW Cup in Wyong last Monday.

Sheens remains adamant there are reasons rather than excuses for why the Tigers performed poorly against Newcastle.

The Tigers were missing Adam Doueihi, Tommy Talau, Shaun Blore, Jacob Liddle and James Tamou.

But Newcastle had their own issues with no Kalyn Ponga, Daniel Saifiti or David Klemmer.

The next curve ball Sheens is going to have to handle is the behind-the-scenes campaign for halfback Luke Brooks to be released from the club.

Despite repeated denials, it’s been confirmed Brooks’s management approached the Tigers twice over the course of the off season about a release.

The usual suspects have started the whisper campaign again after the Tigers 0-2 start to the year.

The line being peddled is Brooks and Maguire can no longer work together, which was the same spin tossed up when the Tigers halfback was trying to shift to Newcastle over the off season.

To date, the Tigers have consistently said Brooks has two years to run on his current contract and is going nowhere.

One player the Tigers have added to the club’s top 30 roster is young gun Manly prop Sione Fainu.

The younger brother of suspended Sea Eagle Manase Fainu, the front row forward has signed a three-year contract with the Tigers.

DEPTH OF RAIDERS NIGHTMARE REVEALED

The Canberra Raiders now have more than $2 million worth of playing talent sidelined with the news English international Josh Hodgson is out for the year.

Hodgson joins prize recruit Jamal Fogarty, captain Jarrod Croker and young gun Harley Smith-Shiels on the Raiders long term injury list.

What it all amounts to is most people getting the red pen out and drawing a line through the Green Machine this season.

The reality is they’re a snowflakes chance in hell of making the finals and in all likelihood will be flat out avoiding the wooden spoon.

As gutsy as the Raiders win against the Sharks in round one was, they were awful against North Queensland in round two with ill-discipline, errors and poor decisions at critical stages of the game ending any hope of them beating the Cowboys.

They’ve also so got to navigate a tricky draw over the course of the next five weeks with games against the Gold Coast, Manly, Melbourne, the Cowboys again and then premiers Penrith.