Quote ="cheekydiddles"A cynical thought crossed my mind. Given the rumour of an iniment 'massive' signing announcement and the ongoing delay with the results (being published anyway) of the Zak 'investigation' could these two be linked?????'" Funny you should say that www.therhinos.co.uk/news/26213.php#.VST_m_nF9wY

Quote ="cheekydiddles"A cynical thought crossed my mind. Given the rumour of an iniment 'massive' signing announcement and the ongoing delay with the results (being published anyway) of the Zak 'investigation' could these two be linked?????'" Funny you should say that www.therhinos.co.uk/news/26213.php#.VST_m_nF9wY

Quote ="loiner81"Funny you should say that www.therhinos.co.uk/news/26213.php#.VST_m_nF9wY'" Firm but fair with a hint of last chance saloon about it.

Quote ="loiner81"Funny you should say that www.therhinos.co.uk/news/26213.php#.VST_m_nF9wY'" Firm but fair with a hint of last chance saloon about it.

I don't get it either. For example, I knew 100% that when Chev Walker signed for Bath he would be lucky to last a season. In Tomkins case I was surprised he went to the Warriors, just the constant travelling to every away game would put me off. I guess it's not like a regular job, you grow up from being 10 or 11 playing against and with the same lads, who you eventually work with. RL is a small community, you must get to know everyone from a young age. Taking yourself out of that must be hard. Sam Burgess - a success in that department - went with all three of his brothers which must have helped.
I also suspect that the NRL is very different to SL and rugby league in this country in general.

My son has moved swimming club recently, with vastly different training methods, we've moved house and schools etc. and it's been very hard at first but he's settled quickly, adapted and made friends and I always believe that if kids learn how to cope with changes like that they will be better suited to making the most of the opportunities there are now working and living outside the UK, within the EU or outside it. Maybe northen lads playing rugby league is just a bit insular and hard to move away from.

I agree. Also didnt Joel Moon have to leave Salford as he was homesick

He's due to be playing again in 2 - 3 weeks and played every game past season.

He was out at the beginning of the season, came back for two weeks, and got injured again for another 6 weeks. He's slowed down immensely and plays with as much strapping as the Invisible Man. He's still a talent, obviously, but I'd be wary.

The big ape has already spoken to him on the telephone,only to discuss his injury of course!

He needs Tomkins to save his job.

We don't need him, especially as he will come with a hefty price tag.
He will probably go back to wigan, unless some club in Union with more money then sense signs him.

Don't rule out Salford or Warrington.

Lets be right. He sounded out Wigan who jumped at the chance to have him. He fessed up to NZ that Wigan is the centre of the chav loving universe and the deal was done. No doubt Wigan are forking over some of the £700k they got in return.

All this talk of Leeds Warrington or whoever is just to make it sound like it wasn't a done deal weeks ago.

They say never go back for a reason. My guess he will still be good but not as good as he was.

Well it's probably guaranteed Logan (thank god I'm Sam's brother) Tomkins a few more years at Wigan.

I think that Sam coming back to Wigan and the SL will be good for our competition as he is a household name that will get potential sponsors interested in investing their money into our game, He will also get plenty of media coverage and we certainly need that

Sam is without a doubt a very good player and also one who dared to go over to the NRL to test himself at the highest level

Having watched the majority of his games over there that were televised on premier sports, and whilst he has done pretty well tbf, I don't think for one minute that the public perception of him over there will hold him in the high esteem that players such as Moz, Gaz Ellis, James Graham,Sam and George Burgess are held in and will never be regarded as being a World Class player

I also think that the NZ Warriors have made an immediate improvement on Sam to their squad for next year by signing Roger Tuivasa-Sheck from the Roosters

IMO the Roosters could be the biggest beneficiary's of this whole merry go round as they will be able to unearth the unbelievable talents of Latrell Mitchell who is certainly a future state of origin and Aussie test player as he can also fill almost any position in the back line

I had a quick look on the NZ Warriors board and opinion is generally positive on ST's contribution, most seem sad / shocked / annoyed to see him leave early and quite a few don't empathise with the whole homesick story. Opinion seems to be that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is an upgrade.

FWIW I think he is nailed on to return to Wigan and I think that is good for Wigan and his return to SL is good for the game in the Northern Hemisphere.

Phil Clarke's attempts to make it look like a contest for Tomkins signature in his Sky Sports column are laughable.

If he's coming back to the UK, it's either Wigan or Union. He won't sign for another SL club.

Will he add to the competition? Meh. I'm not sure fans or sponsors get involved in a game just because of one player.

Home sickness - tosh. He was the standout player in Superleague and because he hasn't had the same impact over there he is returning to take up his role as big fish in a little pond. Coming home is just an admission of failure on his part. He'll return to either the Pies or Dr Cashcow's mercenaries and continue where he left off in 2013.

How can it be good?

Common view is that he has been replaced by someone better pretty quickly suggesting he hasn't been hard to replace. Yet you proclaim the homecoming of that same player as 'good for the game in the northern hemisphere'. All you're really saying is those players not quite good enough for the nrl are good enough to be standout stars in sl. Very damning.

What's more frustrating is I agree with you. Clarke, stevo et al will be drooling all over him. Shows why sl is still an inferior comp.

Not quite good enough for the nrl? Don't be daft, he was quality.

Is he better than tuivasa sheck? I'm not sure, but I do know that nobody will be labelling tuivasa sheck as not good enough for the nrl.

He'll clearly be a "standout star" in sl as he's clearly a top player, be that sl or the nrl.

I imagine that Wigan have it ask sewed up by now, but Leeds are after a half back and a big name, stranger things have happened

You forget he has a partner. That partner isn't playing Rugby, doing something they love for a living. Certain places do not fit in with certain people. I have twice in my life turned down massive opportunities to work in the states, because I too would be homesick. It does happen. Some might like the Aus life, and some don't. And New Zealand is a different life again.

Not a stand out player in the NRL nobody would seriously think Tomkins had anything like the impact Burgess has had now he was a stand out

I have lived here for 4 years and still get homesick

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/32232281 I haven't listened to the audio, but see the caption states he 'misses the pies in Wigan'. His quotes are in such a way that if you are a Pies fan you will believe he is going back, or if you are an easily excitable fan elsewhere you might think he could go to you. With the state of that beard though, I would not want him! (Plus, FB is a well-stocked area at the moment)

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/32232281 I haven't listened to the audio, but see the caption states he 'misses the pies in Wigan'. His quotes are in such a way that if you are a Pies fan you will believe he is going back, or if you are an easily excitable fan elsewhere you might think he could go to you. With the state of that beard though, I would not want him! (Plus, FB is a well-stocked area at the moment)

He's going back to Wigan. That's it. End of the storrrrrreeeee

But is it? In the radio interview yesterday he stated something along the lines of it's not as obvious as people may think with regards to which club he will join and he says he wants a new start at a new club. I wouldn't refer to returning to Wigan as a new start. That is what has set off the speculation. Wigan have loaded all their young players with big contracts as part of their 'give them big contracts and sell them to Union/NRL' policy. Williams, Smith both have freshly signed 4 year contracts for example and they are both terrible. Manfriedi got one recently and he's done nothing in the first team yet.

Is it possible Wigan haven't got cap room for his contract? Could the 'it's not as obvious' line refer to a year at Catalans or Salford before joining Wigan for the season after?

I can't see him joining anyone else tbh, but if he was off to Wigan, why the cloak and dagger stuff?