Myler to Wire for 300k

Quote: DaveO "You don't half know how to re-write RL history. I think you will find Widnes and Leeds were hardly averse to splashing the cash as you put it and had varying degrees of success when they did. Leeds failing spectacularly first singing up Hull's star players like Crooks and Schofield and then going after some of Wigan's.

Can’t disagree there with you Widnes had success compared to youselves, but didn’t have an endless pot of funds like Wigan, the rest is history with Widnes. Leeds on the other hand couldn’t put it together.
The difference was Wigan were innovative off-field not just in terms of going full time (which only happened in 1991/92 season by the way) but by employing specialist sprint coaches and so on. We also produced many of our own players.
You may have well only employed specialist coaches in 91 but you were already half way through your successful decade at that point. I was at Central Park in 87 when you defeated Manly and had a team full of Brits but they weren’t all home grown. Players like Joe Lydon, Andy Greg I suppose Wigan born but you still paid top dollar for them

It is however much easier for people like you to ignore all those facts and say basically we bought success. Leeds proved you need more than money to have success. Whether there is that sort of off-field organisation Wigan had back then currently at our club now I have my doubts given the way some players look and play. I remember signing McInty from Wire and seeing him improve here which was not a coincidence. Now the opposite seems to be the case when players leave.

The lure of the cash took a few of the Wire players move over to Wigan, either already GB internationals or on the verge of and within a short period they were selected for GB. I am not saying they were any better for Wigan just that they had a more balanced/better team around them. Success breads success and Wigan could afford the pick of the best off field coaches and backroom staff. You say the opposite is happening, well IMO that is a fault of your previous management team expecting success you have let numerous talented youngsters go because you wanted the big names in.

If I was to ask any Wiganer who remembers that decade there were many big name Aussies and Kiwis/All Blacks who played and they wouldn’t come cheap. In the modern game with the salary cap that would not be possible

So we can all spend the same money up to the limit of the cap but just like Leeds spent at least as much as Wigan if not more that won't mean the trophies are equally shared out hence the recent dominance of Leeds and Saints.

I know Wire can't break a live cap just as Wigan can't and there may have been loopholes exploited by the likes of Wire and Saints but if there were, you should be in favour of them being closed as you seem so fond of a level playing field.

Touchy one this because the Wire have never been guilty of breaking the cap unlike yourselves and others and these rumoured loopholes maybe you could explain more

Maybe you were thinking of Janathan Davies, now that was a good piece of business for the Wire.