Some thoughts on this, apologies if they are all old hat as haven't read the full thread:
- there is something desperately wrong with our game that we have become a feeder league to the NRL, and, even worse, the dark side. It is insane not to have a marquee player exemption, and we are all the poorer for it;
- good luck to Budgie personally, at least this is out in the open and we can move on;
- it sounds like we couldn't reasonably keep him, but in any event I could see the logic if Wigan decided to act cautiously here. He is better than Manfredi, but manfredi is very good and will score most of the tries Budgie does. He isn't in my top 5 key players, not because he isn't brilliant, but because you need a great spine and great props before he can do what he does;
- I can't see that there is much Wigan could or should do here. The problem is the first one above - with no capacity to sprinkle glitter dust talent the competition is in peril of slipping inexorably backwards into oblivion.

I can honestly see this move being a bad one for Joe and I'm trying my very best not to sound disappointed or bitter about this news. I doubt he will get half as much game time as he did at Wigan last year, his 1st year in the 1st squad as we all know. he has obviously took the bait of the lifestyle and the experience and at the end of the day fair play to him, if I was offered the chance to work abroad even in my line of work at his age I'd have snapped it up no matter the wage. he doesn't have any responsibilities such as children as far as i know so he doesn't need to worry about the impact on his own lifestyle at least. but in the game of rugby, it doesn't always work out as you wish and I hope he hasn't burnt any bridges with Wigan in doing what he has as I can see him coming back "home" with his tail between his legs sooner rather than later. I'd love for him to prove me wrong of course.

I remember waney saying he had a good "cockyish" streak which he loved about him and don't get me wrong, you need a good winger who is confident in his own abilities and is willing to put it about but I think the aussies will tear him to shreds and show him up which may knock his confidence. I hate to say that, I just don't think the time was right for him to take a move there.

all the best to him and I hope the move proves successful for him, I just cannot see anything other than the opposite I'm afraid.

on the flip side we have the likes of manfredi who would commit to the club and have just as much potential. so every cloud and all that! I just hope that wane sees that he needs some game time now, despite joe claiming to want to give 100% in his final year this coming season. there is little point in playing him week in week out for the sake of trying to win a trophy if you are thinking longer term like myself.

Good luck to the lad.

They obviously like the surname in oz.

I agree there is more to his game than just scoring but who knows Manfreddi may well also thrive in the first team. Wing is not a key position the way we play.

The only way SL is going to get stronger is by raising the profile of the game in the UK. The only way to do that is produce a successful International side. Looking short term the NRL is the best route to accomplish this for developing our players.

Joe may have looked at or spoken to Sam Burgess and realised the move to Aus at this time could be a far more lucrative way to get into Union.

The club have actively been trying to retain the existing group of players with Smith, Williams, Powell and Sutton signing four year deals. They are also negotiating with Charnley, Gelling, Sarginson and Hampshire. That's almost our first 17 backs and half backs together with one of our most talented young props.
If they retain the last four then Joe Burgess will be the only one deciding not to stay.
Trying to keep to a salary structure so a large squad can be assembled and retained can't be easy with a salary cap as low as SL's.
As much as I'd liked Burgess to stay I'd far rather they keep those they are still in negotiations with as we have Manfredi as a very good replacement.
I do hope we can re-sign Charnley, Gelling, Sarginson and Hampshire as they are all very talented rugby players who I want to see playing at Wigan rather than anywhere else.

...and a lucrative way to ruin a promising career...

(on both counts!)

I don't think it will though. It [imay[/i do it if the entire squad was based there, twenty-odd players playing first grade NRL on a regular basis but I really can't see that happening but if it did just what sort of naff competition would we have here domestically?

The alternative is to have some players in the NRL and the rest in SL as we do now and this puts the national side at a distinct disadvantage from the off regardless of the quality of the players.

As to raising the profile in the UK just what are the tangible benefits of that going to be? The RFL have locked the game into a Sky deal for several years for far too little cash and I don't expect Sky to start offering more money if England win a series. Who else will?

My view is (and always has been since the entire game went full time) is that it is all about money and crucially that you can't run a pro sport on the cheap but that is what the RFL are trying to do (largely because they are too inept at securing enough revenue IMO but also because they spread the cash too thinly with the new structure).

He wont be missed too much. He was good last year but wasnt really outstanding. If a 27 year old had done what he did people wouldnt be talking him up half as much. Realistically he's had a good season for his age but so did Shaun Ainscough a few years ago for us. I imagine this deal being a disaster like Matty Russell's was. He'll go over hoping to emulate the other Burgess's and in fact he'll end up playing in front of 20 people and a dog in the Roosters B team in the NSW cup. Give it a few weeks and he'll be homesick and desperate to come back to England. He'll sign the only offer he can get from an English club with room on the salary cap (probably Wakefield).

Hopefully Wane will see sense and ship him up to Workington now and Manfredi can prove that he's a far better winger (especially in defence!!).

I was thinking of ainscough when I submitted my most previous response on page 5 regarding the "cockyness" joe has shown (in a good way) and how wane loved that about him as he had the audacity to go out there and almost show off his insanely young skills to us all. ainscough had all the attributes to be a great star for many years; he had the skills, speed and swagger that us wiganers love from a back. unfortunately he got too cocky for his own good and things didn't work out for him one way or another. a big shame really, he would have been an immense player had he kept composed and not thought he was bigger than tom cruises' bank balance. although I can't comment on what or why his wigan career ended, I'm just summising.

I'm worried the same could happen with burgess but from what I hear his feet are a little more firmly on the ground so perhaps not, but it does cause concern.

Yeah, Ive seen comparisons with Ainscough and him on social media as well. Very different players but a danger of peaking too early on the wing? I remember Saints fans saying Jamie Foster would be a future Golden boot winner 5 years ago - look where he is now, clubless!! My old account on here I remember people saying we should have kept Ainscough as he was a future "star". Look how he's ended up!! Wing is an easy position to play for anyone and that might be why young kids are seen to do well there but struggle later in their career.

Either way Id still rather have Manfredi over Burgess any day. From what Ive seen Manfredi doesnt have the huge defensive errors in his game that 'Budgie' (*Cringe*) is prone to.