So its Wigan responsibility to provide players for all of SL.

One player every year or so, doesnt make it an issue, its only an issue to the supporters of that club, and if the clubs valued them as highly as the supporters they would find a way (which in the past they did) to keep them.
RL in wales openly targeted young players playing RU to try and develop some youth talent and in the past RL has benefited largely from a derth of RU talent.
You are bleating on because its Wigan, ok you may well have banged the drum for others, but i (should i bother to look) would find it difficult to find as many posts on ours and other smaller clubs sites, about how bigger clubs RL or otherwise have nicked players from us.
Its what we have to live with on a much larger scale year in year out, so forgive me if i dont particularly care about wigan (or whoever) losing a player every now and then to RU.

If the intention of the RFL is to produce a stronger International setup then I would think that the way forward has to be in helping clubs retain the players they have produced.

The way to do this whilst still retaining the cap has to be to reduce the cost on the salary cap of home-grown players and to increase the cost of overseas players.

Perhaps the way forward should be along the lines of:

Academy product - 75% of wages count on cap
Other clubs academy product - 100% of wages count
Overseas player - 125% of wages count against cap

It encourages the production of your own players, doesn't punish clubs from signing players who have developed at other SL clubs but can't break into their respective teams, and discourages clubs bringing in "average" overseas players.



Personally speaking, any International team that feels the need to allow "Johnny Foreigners" to play for them (no matter what the rules say) don't deserve my support anyway and my support will always be for Trinity before any International team.

Its not Wigan that are losing the players it is the International Team. I am far more an internationalist than a club supporter.

Take the potential losses I highlighted Tomkins x 2 Lomax and Eastmond they could have been and some are already proven international players for years to come. It appears now we will get to see them for in some cases only 1 more year prior to jumping ship.

No matter how you try to justify it our game cannot support the losses of good young players. I would rather Tomkins join Saints than RFU as he would still be in our code.

As for the dearth of Union talent coming to league fantastic, as for us taking advantage of the strength of union in trying to generate players for league fantastic.

I am a league supporter and am happy for us to do this wish we were still able to attract the top Union players we once could. Sadly now though the boot is on the other foot being a league supporter I find it very hard to take, just as I used to enjoy it when we were able to take the best union had to offer as it was a shot in the arm for our game, and harmful to the union code.

Jonh - we may have disagreed several times in the past - but on this one I get you completely and utterly agree with you!

Now pick yourself up off the floor!

The RFL and the clubs themselves are causing far more damage to what is left of our international game, than a couple of players here and there going to RU.
While ever the RFL dilute the GB team we will never win another major tournament, add onto that the expansion dream further diluting the international game, in order to strengthen wales and france, and failure to toughen up the import regulations to stop "fake passport", "failed clubs" overseas players excemption, and just average journeyman players coming into our game and short sighted clubs using all these players.
RL doesnt need saving from RU it needs saving from itself.
Hypocritical final point IMO, you cant rejoice in one and the blub like a baby about the other.