Now if none of this true you ain't heard it from me, if it is true well the bloke in the pub who hears it from his best mates next door but one is correct

Wigan have sacked Bateman, he's off to Leigh on loan till end of season and then it's Australia. Apparently Wigan won't let him go to another super league team and Penrith, Manly and Souths have made him an offer. If Wigan sack him I don't know if they would have any say in where he went or rather where he didn't go

We shall see

Well you can't sack someone and then send them on loan! If he is available we should be trying to do a deal, he'd could play centre for us if not back row.

Yeah, we'll have him at Leigh. Might as well add another newcomer to a disjointed squad that is currently playing like a bunch of strangers.Incredibly, we were down to our last 18 fit players today, having just sent three out on loan this week. And three of those 18 were on loan to us. Typically, we take the risk of sending out our 3rd choice hooker on loan, with Higham suspended, and of course, Hood gets scraped off with a head injury! I'll need a lot of convincing that two admittedly former NRL players are performing better than Ridyard and Reynolds have been.

He hasn't been sacked suspended from all club activity's till the end of the season yes then a move to Aus is likely.

Presumably this is as a result of the investigation that hasn't taken place over the incident that didn't happen. Allegedly.

The rumour around Wigan (not Leeds) is a swap for Hardaker.

Ferres and Bateman would lead to a harmonious dressing room. Perhaps Chase could be tempted back.

I can't see why there would be a point to that.

Hardaker to Wigan would make no sense. They already have a top quality fullback, so that would mean either one of them isn't playing or one of them changes position. That's not even taking into account Hardaker specifically said he wants to go to the NRL.

rl]rl]
As an RL addict living in Sydney Zak is all ready regarded as damaged goods. Add the price tag and the NRL looks unrealistic.

The talk in the media is a number of clubs have passed. Not many need a fullback.

The Bateman thing is from Wigan not Leeds fans. they are saying Tomkins into the halves is the rumour.

I have heard very similar with Toxic Tomkins leading the dressing room revolt to get Bateman out the club.

What I cannot understand is how exactly Leigh would be able to get him in? How elastic is their salary cap?

They wouldn't need to pay a lot - whoever takes Bateman holds the cards. Wigan are still going to have to pay him.

Well, that is assuming that there is not a clause in a contract in regards to salary in the event of a suspension from the club. I am not au-fait with sports law so I don't know how it works but you would think that after the likes of Hock and Flower then Wigan would insert some form of caveat in their contracts?

Regardless though, Leigh must be flying too close to the sun already I would have thought?

Fair point, although I suspect there would be no such thing until an investigation (or perhaps the law?) proved him guilty of something.

Otherwise, they could suspend a player over something trivial in order not to pay them.

It is certainly a grey area Stul and one that, I suspect, that we will never know.

How much either club actually pays him is irrelevant. He will come of wigans cap. If he stays in sl his full cap value goes onto his new club, if he goes into the championship 50% of his cap value goes onto the new club. Cant see many clubs in either division having the room to take him.