Burgess will either stay in RU for the long haul (a big mistake for him personally IMO but he has an enormous ego which will find it very hard to walk away as a 'failure' at RU) or go back to Souths. Anything else would be a stop-gap for him. I wouldn't be interested in Eastmond either, as if he wanted to go back to RL he will also have shown a propensity to move at the drop of a hat.

Hopefully with Watkins as with some others the club culture is as important as money. Playing with your friends and having a chance to experience big wins is a lot. Not everyone want to experience the 'challenge' of moving away from home and trying a different sport, no matter what the rewards.

There seems to be a lot of assumption that Watkins will want to leave yet he's already signed a long term deal also JC Burgess hasn't been the best RL player in the World or even in the top 3 for at LEAST 12 MONTHS!

Indeed but I have not seen any other players improve enough to have taken his place. Who are you suggesting would be better if he were to return to RL?

Any interest in Watkins is surely for the next world cup. That is four years away. So I agree with you, what benefit would Watkins get in leaving Leeds any time sooner than 12 months before the next world cup? He can still do three years here with the potential for success, before then moving on to run down his career in the other code whilst getting to experience their premier competition.

It is speculation, as is the notion that Watkins will choose to go elsewhere. To me, he comes across as a confidence player. I'm really not sure that the attention that a high profile move to either the NRL or to union would generate would be something he'd relish. Again, only speculation though.

Of course it is all speculation but after our treble and with the team in transition Watkins is bound to be tempted.

What is clear is he would earn several times more each year in Union and would have the chance to learn the game and earn his England spot before the next world Cup. He would have less tackling to do in Union which would prolong his career at the top and should win his international place on merit within a year and so get to travel the world with the England team.

I would be very surprised if the swop deal was for Burgess and more likely for Eastmond - centre for centre/standoff.

Eastmond would be 'No' from me - regardless of the deal really. He's been away from RL for too long and at a key development stage of his career - he was already a biscuit bones at Saints (plus a questionable attitude) and IMO will now have irrecoverable talents after his RU stint.... If he'd stayed in RL and worked on his game, he could have been a great playmaker, but that ship has sailed in my view - wasted in RU with no guarantee of getting back to being a top RL player.

The money he would command would most definitely be better spent elsewhere.

As for Watkins, I'd not swap him for any RU player - including Burgess or SBW.... Whilst both those players would be immense - they'd both be gone after 12 or 24 months, and are in positions where we can live without them - Watkins is pretty much irreplaceable at the moment and I feel still has a lot of unrealised potential in his game.... With a little more involvement and hunger for the ball, plus a game plan to exploit his talent, he could become the best centre in the world. Plus, from what I've seen and heard, he's a bit of a home bird, he's got a young family and is settled in Leeds (similar to Ryan Hall), so there's a good chance he would remain loyal to the club long term. And when I think about it, I'm not sure there are many RL players out there that I'd swap for Watkins... There might be some who can bring more immediately to the team (Thurston, DCE, Smith, Cronk), but those type of signings are not realistic and would be short term - Watkins could potentially be around for many many years.

Very true, and you could understand it if Watkins indeed does have that point view on things either now or in the near future. He has 5 years left in his prime and he needs to maximise his potential and earn some big bucks while he can, I wouldn't hold anything against him personally, He has achieved everything with us now and cemented his place as SL great already imo. I just can't see Eastmond being the kind of player that suits Leeds or GH and the current organisation at Headingley though. He seems to me to be a bit of a Rugby diva and i can't imagine he would fall into line with things work and have worked well for us in the past decade and more. It would be very surprising to me if GH would see him as a good fit for the club but we'll see.

Temperament-wise I don't rate Eastmond. Not that long ago he was widely reported as having threatened to walk out after being subbed in a game at Harlequins. Ability-wise, I'd take him over Brierley any day of the week. However, I really don't envisage any kind of swap deal involving players with profiles as high as him, Watkins and Burgess have.

After seeing what happened with Sam Burgess i'd say any player wanting to move to RU for a World Cup chance should give themselves much more time than 12 months.

You wouldn't get in the squad in time for the 6 Nations which would leave you maybe one or two friendlies just before the World Cup to gain international experience. Any potential move to RU should be done at least two years before a World Cup, possibly even 3.

Everyone who goes to RU thinks they are gonna be the next Jason Robinson, but he was the exception not the rule. Most of the time they end up crawling back less fit and skillful than they left and become poorer RL players. They rarely seem to become a success.

Yeah yeah I know, the money.

No, no, no.... It's nothing to do with the money.... It's the challenge... A bigger spectacle.... The higher profile... A 'childhood ambition'..... Everything except the money.....

We all know what it is. To Dance on Ice or Strictly Dance or Captain a Game Show Panel.

Maybe they'd rather be playing in front of 70,000 people more than once (or twice if you're lucky) per year?

Maybe they'd rather have the chance, if they really make it, to go on a proper British Lions tour?

All while making more money than they could have made by staying in RL.

Yeah, no idea why any young man with a time-limited career would even consider something like that.

I think you are spot on Andy, these guys have 5-15 years of top earning potential with which to secure their future, if t'other code can offer more money, some will be tempted. It was the same the other way around for long enough before RU went officially professional.

That and the chance to play for Northern Hemisphere, World Cup whipping boy rabble