Interesting view. Let's just ignore that he's one of the few British RL players to date - if not the only one - who's featured in a TV advertising campaign.

Clearly someone doesn't agree with you.

Which one?

The one run on Granada for the Wigan v Warrington match last July.

I think what he means is that he is not marketable on a national scale.

Of course he has featured in the clubs TV ad, but that is not the same as advertising products for Nike, Puma, Adidas, Gilette etc.

Thats not the lads fault obviously, more another symptom our sports lack of media coverage.

He is withouth a doubt the best young English player in the game at the momment and it is a shame that your average man on the street will never know who he is because of the sport he plays.

In that respect, I can't think of too many British RL players who've been marketable.

Personally, I thought the OP was having a snide dig at Sam, but if I'm wrong I apologise to him and take the point.

Perhaps he was, i dont know.

Regards other RL players in marketing. i cant think of anybody either.

Strange one really, these lads are at the absolute top of their physical peak and they are not even picked up by Maximuscle etc.

Weird one that when they have these skinny footballers in there adverts and not hulking beasts like Fielden, Morely, Joel etc.

You would have thought that the build of your average RL player would be more desired by males than that of a scrawney wendyballer?

Mind you there was a time when you could not move for pictures of that ponce Gavin Henson. Maybe we should get Sam to shack up with some minor celebrity and the cash will start rolling in.

Not a dig at all. He is the brightest star in the game and would be great if we could use him to promote our game nationwide. If you look at Offiah and Hanley in the 90's lot's of people outside of our game knew who they were.

I think that is more the fault of the fact that RL in not really on mainstream TV. When Hanly and Offiah were playing, games were on either BBC or ITV much more often. Plus the international game was more high profile.

Plus appearances on BBC TV shows like Superstars didn't hurt either for RL players at that time.

Didn't know the club had run tv ads (I don't watch ITV much these days).

The last person to have a national profile was Sculthorpe (and that was still less than some in the 80's), Tomkins has little chance of similar due to his less than 'celebrity' looks rather than playing ability.

It would be worth the RFL writing to some big name companies asking to be more recognised in the media.

Good idea mate companies like Aviva,Heineken,Zurich,Guinness and 02 would be a start.

getting on a lucazade add or i think its jessica ennis on a powerade add at the minute, we could have players doing similar, thing like this.

however it is a wierd cross over, its actually the job of the the players agent to sort these things out, however with rugby league the way it is, we could really do with the marketing and press officers at the RFL pulling some strings.

Getting players on soccer am ( i think burgess was the last about 2 years ago!) and on some kind of TV programme e.g. stirckly come dancing or saturday kitchen, they might come across cheesy but at least the faces and names are out and about, their must be some bad celebrity game show, charity thing we could get the lads on like come dine with me, I don't know half of them on those programmes so they can't be that fussy.

I'm pretty sure the RFU have these tatics especially with the dancing/skating thing and other such programmes. When was the last time there was a rugby player that didn't work for the BBC on a question of sport!

alternatively we need one of the lads to go out with some kind of actress/singer and have some dodgey wedding that will devorce in a year? isn't Cheryl Cole avaliable these days.

Thats because he has the face of a rat!!

I'm a bit confused about this clamour to get rid of the salary cap?.....Would getting rid of it, not just lead to clubs spending money they don't have, on players they can't afford??

You say that clubs would be responsible and wouldn't be so kamikaze with their cash, but didn't we all think that when Widnes went belly up after chasing the dream in the late 80's/early 90's??.....Similarly, Wigan's own glory years eventually cost them their ground and probably set them back 5-10 years, a similar story to my own club, Warrington, who tried in vain to keep up with the big boys and have spent years in the wilderness through poor financial management. Only now, with good management, have we been able to compete in the game and yet, even with Simon Moran's undoubted financial muscle, I would be against the removal of a salary limit, mainly beacsue I fear that ego and ambition might take over clear thinking.

I do believe though that a raising of the actual cap could be a benefit....Surely, thinking logically, as the cost of living goes up, then shouldn't a player's wages??.....It seems to me that the sport's cap has been enduring some sort of pay freeze which needs looking at?