Would not suprise me as James Grant website said "identifying players with the potential to switch to rugby union."

Is Charnley likely to play this weekend? Does anyone know. Debating whether to keep him in my dream team or not haha.

I'm finally getting to the stage where I'm so fed up with players and their agents using Wigan Warriors as the springboard for a well paid easy life in RU (whilst at the same time pretending they are athletes), or for a quick NRL payday, after which they will then take the early retirement package in RU with indecent haste (good luck with Sam T, you NZW fans - you may need it!), that I'd rather sacrifice the transfer fee and see them rot on the reserve bench for their entirety of their contracts.

It may sound peevish, but we are not just any old RL club and I personally am sick of seeing us regarded as a soft touch. It may be that we have brought this on ourselves through our traditional gentlemanly approach of allowing players to move on if they wish to, but is it so unreasonable of us to expect gentlemanly conduct in return (in other words, the players perhaps fulfilling their Wigan obligations first)?

The salary cap is not going to change any time soon, so we've no choice IMO but to adopt our own, much tougher approach. We produce more real talent than all the English RU clubs put together, and more than most of SL, and yet never seem to get the full benefit of this. It's high time we sent the message out that we are not going to produce an RU World Cup winning side for Andy Farrell and his wealthy but equally clueless chums down at Twickenham without a big fight - so big that the players themselves will become casualties.

And if this is what's happening with Josh Charnley, it's excellent news. He would be a very, very good place to start.

good post

Agree with this, but can't help wonder why we are suffering in this respect more than other clubs such as Leeds. If RU are looking at Charnley, surely they must have looked at Ryan Hall? Either the attitude from the club makes us an easy target because we are too nice or sustain links with old boys like Farrell or the chairman has a reputation in player/agent circles as being very pragmatic when it comes to early release from contracts. Or this is a culture at the club that is coming from players and their agents because we're unlucky enough to have our players managed/advised by certain agents with strong links to RU.

Whatever the cause, it's bloody annoying.

The disadvantages of this in RL compared to football are the salary cap, Charnley sits in the reserve grade for 5 years eating up a chunk of your salary cap that would be more beneficial on the younger harder working players, I agree with your sentiment but any player on a good contract can make the salary cap work for him as a bargaining tool in more way than one.
Maybe a more workable scenario is tell union 'yes he's available for a fee' then make it a ridiculous number minimum 6 figures, the option is there and yyou're playing hardball. It also means the player can't accuse you of not allowing him to go, you can then turn round and say 'if someone meets the fee we'll let you go'.

Without the salary cap I think I could get behind what you said.

Very well said!

I think there's probably a bit of everything you say.

Certainly the links with the likes of Farrell must be cut. One-time favoured son maybe, but he quite evidently takes the view now that RU must benefit at our expense, and for that reason should no longer be allowed into our inner circle.

IL is clearly very pragmatic, but for an outfit like the ERU, who seem hell-bent on buying themselves a World Cup winning team with money no object, that just look likes a weakness they can exploit.

I suspect a lot of the agents have feet in both camps. I don't think there's anything we can do about that, except refuse to talk to them until their players' contracts are nearly over. Or, as Wire Yed says, agree to a transfer but ask a telephone number for the fee. That could work too.

I too am frustrated by Leeds's near inviolability in this regard, but there is a new rumour that Hall is now being strongly tapped up as well. If you remember, we used to say this about St Helens - that RU never seemed interested in their star players, only ours. But in the end, they lost Eastmond who had superstar written all over him, and Graham went off to the NRL, from where he will never likely return until he's a veteran, while Cunningham only stayed by taking extra wages from Club Great Britain (for whom he virtually never played - which made his loyalty very costly).

I suspect Leeds will also lose out at some point. That's not something I want to see, but maybe, if it looks as though the RU are genuinely after everyone we've got who's any good - not just Wiganers - it might create some kind of fightback.

That only works if all top clubs adopt the same approach. Otherwise any player with NRL aspirations will choose Leeds, Wire or Saints over us in the meantime. Instead of having Tomkins, Charnley etc for 5 years or so we may end up getting them for 2 or not at all

Do you not think that's a small problem compared with the rate we are losing players over the last few years? Really it amounts to saying if you sign for Wigan, you're expected to see out your contract - if a player can't live with that when he signs, I'd rather see him at another club.

I'd rather have 5 years of Tomkins, Charnley etc then 2 or none. Would we have won the trophies we have without players who went on to the NRL? I doubt it. Plus they help along the players coming through

I think the time has now come to accept that unless there are major changes as the top of RL, we start attracting some bigger sponsers and bring money into the game. The trend of players going to union and the NRL is going to continue.
Sam Tomkins has said it himself, he doesnt blame S Burgess for going to union, players have a short career. They have a right to maximise their earning potential. Are taking bets on how long Sam Tomkins stays in the NRL?
This is not a great situation, it is worrying, but unless something significant is done (i.e Dr K's idea), i think it is going to be the norm from now on. I intend to watch whoever Mr Wane fields in the cherry and white and support the team as best i can.

Worth a read... www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... ay-6777197

Worth a read... www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... ay-6777197