I refuse to accept the argument that players going to the NRL will all of a sudden improve the national team.

Yes it has worked with NZ, why wouldn't it? They didn't have a high standard of competition before that. They rely on their best players playing in the NRL to have a strong national side.

We on the other hand have our own competition and the best way to match the aussies would be to improve super league to NRL's standard, not send our best players to make their comp better.

We need to keep ALL of our best players in this competition while taking some of the best from the NRL. The only way of doing that is to stop holding the top clubs back with the salary cap.

We need to pay our best players more so we can keep them and also have the likes of Marshall and Thurston playing in super league. We could also take the best players from Union etc.

Easier said than done, but it is certainly not working with a 14 team league. It must be 10 teams so each club can get as much sky money as possible. It is pretty clear that the top clubs could afford a higher salary cap as it is, why oh why are we preventing them keeping the best players (e.g.Tomkins) and stopping them from getting the best players from the NRL? Surely both of those things would improve super league even if some teams did get left behind... they are getting left behind as it is anyway!!!

We clearly can't afford to pay players more money. Take away the rich owners and very few clubs would be self sufficient.

never mind -- 1 more year of Wellens --- ENJOY

NRL has been the best comp since... always. The best players want to play in the best comp since always. The international exchange rates mean that the best money is in the ozzie comp. How are we meant to make super league the best comp to keep the best players? We can't! Good luck to them if they down under. I'd be off like a bloody shot if my job offered it me. Sod the wife!

If Sam wants to go to the NRL to better himself and test himself in the best Rugby competition in the world then I can totally undersatnd that. He has already won the Challenge Cup, Grand Final and Hubcap here and if we have further success in the next 2 years then I am sure he will want new challenges. With the new TV deal the money on offer in the NRL will dwarf what we can pay him and he will still be young enough to come back and still be in his 20s if he so desires or if it doesnt work out. If he does leave Wigan I would much prefer him to go the the NRL and stay in Rugby League than to go to Union.

It will make it a much easier pill to swallow if Sam goes to the NRL. We can still enjoy watching him play this great sport as well as him turning out for England. I really cant see him going to Union and to be honest part of me expects Joel to come back to League next season.

What I can see happening in the next year or two is for Sam to dump the Pies for a few years in Australia,then come back to England to sign for the mighty Wire, his boyhood club.

That may be right.
Sam goes to Aus when he's 25. Plays there for six or seven years as Moz did then returns with Wire signing him at 32/3 on a four year deal.
His age is right for a Wire signing so that might not be far off!