Well it's probably guaranteed Logan (thank god I'm Sam's brother) Tomkins a few more years at Wigan.

I think that Sam coming back to Wigan and the SL will be good for our competition as he is a household name that will get potential sponsors interested in investing their money into our game, He will also get plenty of media coverage and we certainly need that

Sam is without a doubt a very good player and also one who dared to go over to the NRL to test himself at the highest level

Having watched the majority of his games over there that were televised on premier sports, and whilst he has done pretty well tbf, I don't think for one minute that the public perception of him over there will hold him in the high esteem that players such as Moz, Gaz Ellis, James Graham,Sam and George Burgess are held in and will never be regarded as being a World Class player

I also think that the NZ Warriors have made an immediate improvement on Sam to their squad for next year by signing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck from the Roosters

IMO the Roosters could be the biggest beneficiary's of this whole merry go round as they will be able to unearth the unbelievable talents of Latrell Mitchell who is certainly a future state of origin and Aussie test player as he can also fill almost any position in the back line

I had a quick look on the NZ Warriors board and opinion is generally positive on ST's contribution, most seem sad / shocked / annoyed to see him leave early and quite a few don't empathise with the whole homesick story. Opinion seems to be that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is an upgrade.

FWIW I think he is nailed on to return to Wigan and I think that is good for Wigan and his return to SL is good for the game in the Northern Hemisphere.

Phil Clarke's attempts to make it look like a contest for Tomkins signature in his Sky Sports column are laughable.

If he's coming back to the UK, it's either Wigan or Union. He won't sign for another SL club.

Will he add to the competition? Meh. I'm not sure fans or sponsors get involved in a game just because of one player.

Home sickness - tosh. He was the standout player in Superleague and because he hasn't had the same impact over there he is returning to take up his role as big fish in a little pond. Coming home is just an admission of failure on his part. He'll return to either the Pies or Dr Cashcow's mercenaries and continue where he left off in 2013.

How can it be good?

Common view is that he has been replaced by someone better pretty quickly suggesting he hasn't been hard to replace. Yet you proclaim the homecoming of that same player as 'good for the game in the northern hemisphere'. All you're really saying is those players not quite good enough for the nrl are good enough to be standout stars in sl. Very damning.

What's more frustrating is I agree with you. Clarke, stevo et al will be drooling all over him. Shows why sl is still an inferior comp.

Not quite good enough for the nrl? Don't be daft, he was quality.

Is he better than tuivasa sheck? I'm not sure, but I do know that nobody will be labelling tuivasa sheck as not good enough for the nrl.

He'll clearly be a "standout star" in sl as he's clearly a top player, be that sl or the nrl.

I imagine that Wigan have it ask sewed up by now, but Leeds are after a half back and a big name, stranger things have happened

You forget he has a partner. That partner isn't playing Rugby, doing something they love for a living. Certain places do not fit in with certain people. I have twice in my life turned down massive opportunities to work in the states, because I too would be homesick. It does happen. Some might like the Aus life, and some don't. And New Zealand is a different life again.

Not a stand out player in the NRL nobody would seriously think Tomkins had anything like the impact Burgess has had now he was a stand out

I have lived here for 4 years and still get homesick

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/32232281 I haven't listened to the audio, but see the caption states he 'misses the pies in Wigan'. His quotes are in such a way that if you are a Pies fan you will believe he is going back, or if you are an easily excitable fan elsewhere you might think he could go to you. With the state of that beard though, I would not want him! (Plus, FB is a well-stocked area at the moment)

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/32232281 I haven't listened to the audio, but see the caption states he 'misses the pies in Wigan'. His quotes are in such a way that if you are a Pies fan you will believe he is going back, or if you are an easily excitable fan elsewhere you might think he could go to you. With the state of that beard though, I would not want him! (Plus, FB is a well-stocked area at the moment)

He's going back to Wigan. That's it. End of the storrrrrreeeee

But is it? In the radio interview yesterday he stated something along the lines of it's not as obvious as people may think with regards to which club he will join and he says he wants a new start at a new club. I wouldn't refer to returning to Wigan as a new start. That is what has set off the speculation. Wigan have loaded all their young players with big contracts as part of their 'give them big contracts and sell them to Union/NRL' policy. Williams, Smith both have freshly signed 4 year contracts for example and they are both terrible. Manfriedi got one recently and he's done nothing in the first team yet.

Is it possible Wigan haven't got cap room for his contract? Could the 'it's not as obvious' line refer to a year at Catalans or Salford before joining Wigan for the season after?

I can't see him joining anyone else tbh, but if he was off to Wigan, why the cloak and dagger stuff?

It builds up hype / talk and thus generates more fanfare when the announcement is made. It would be less 'newsworthy' if it was announced straightaway that he is off back to Wigan but by allowing people to talk and rumour it then somehow makes it more exciting in a backwards way when it is confirmed that he is going back there, as fans / other teams might have got themselves fantasising that it 'might be us'.