So he slinks off back to Oz - well no point in trying to keep players that don't want to play for the C&G. Thought something was afoot at the end of the Saints game, he came over to the fans at the end, stared around as if he was drinking it all in and was the last to leave the field - Wuzz and I commented at the time 'bet that was his last match for us' - shame but on we go...

Not really.

Leroy, Eorl, etc cannot be poached by an Aussie club after they've starred in the World Cup unless we give them permission to do so.

And permission is always given if a player wants to go.

And a suitable deal is drawn up. Sometimes they can just be released, a la LOD, and sometimes a juicy fee is involved, a la Brown. If they are under contract then the club has ultimate control and they weigh up the value of having a player who doesn't want to be at the club with things such as his potential destination, his importance to the team, any fee they might be entitled to and the savings they'd make on his wages that may or may not be used elsewhere. It's far more complex a picture than some like to intimate.

You can't miss what you never had! Seems to me that players sign up to long term contracts knowing that if they change their mind later they'll be released one way or another.