It seems that this james grant agency likes to take league players to union after taking chris ashton and what looks like joel to rugby union. surely there must be something we can do to stop this happening. maybe not let this agency get involved with anyone in our team.

then another agency will do it, then another........

sadly, money talks!

i think that the rfl has to take a look at things and try and find some conclusion that will help things like this happening again its getting ridiculous

Its is rediculous how they have someone emplyed to 'spot a rugby league player with the potential to switch to union.'

why is it getting ridiculous, we did it for years and it was ok, boot on the other foot and it's the end of our game, there aren't half some drama queens on this site ffs

exactly somethign needs to be done otherwise we are gonna end up with hardly any english players in our division and then the national team is gonna get even worse

I think some people need to go and do a bit of research about restraint of trade regulations before embarrassing themselves further.

Jonathon Davies, Gareth Edwards and Gareth Davis (All ex Wales RU players) was talking on Welsh tv on Sunday evening and Gareth Davies asked them what is the difference between professional era RU and amaetur RU. Jonathon Davies replied they pay tax now and less brown paper bags.

Well I think he must have been referring to the likes of Guscott rather than himself and others from the WRU. How many brown paper bags do you think the likes of Boston and others like him before the more modern era of Davies were getting? If they could have made a living at it they would have stayed put and RU has always had the money to pay it. They chose not to because they were just wrapped up in their own outdated amateur ethos.

I think you will find that Andrew Clarke [Phil`s brother] was the prime mover in JT`s switch to RU.

JT apparently signed a contract with James Grant Sports Management in a move that saw his agent, Andy Clarke, become a consultant for the London-based firm.

And so RL is now just like football - Agents offering their clients to other clubs, even though they may be under contract, just so the Agent can earn more commission.

Clarke was instrumental in getting JT his 5 year contract with Wigan, and earning commission in the process, and now gets more commission by selling JT to Saracens and also earns another deal by becoming a consultant with the sports management agency.

Nice work if you can get it, Clarke, although I do not blame JT for wanting to significantly improve his earnings - after all, most of us would do it if we had the opportunity.

It is sad to see player's being poached from Rugby League but I really don't see what the fuss is about. Is what theses agents are doing Illegal? As far as I'm aware it Isn't but please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. It has happened the other way in the past. Albeit under different circumstance's as Union teams where amateur but the main reason behind the players moving is exactly the same in giving the player a better pay day, is it not?

I really don't want to see Joel leave. But it seems it's going to happen. Is it really the end of the world? Is Rugby League going to cease to exist because Kyle Eastmond and Joel Tomkins have switched over to the "Dark Side"? Rather than moan and try to think of ways to stop agents giving player's the opportunity to earn more money in union, Why not concentrate on solving the problems that League and the RFL have in the first place so that Rugby League can maybe one day be able to offer the same international glamour and money that union can.