So taking as many money hungry imports as the budget allows, who are willing to shelve there international career and play in an inferior league in the process, will help our youngsters develop (when they aren't keeping half of the youngsters out of the team, that is)?

Wiganer in 'communist cap' obsession horror. But back to the subject....

If Eastmond wanted to play in the NRL I would be delighted for him, as long as we put a clause in his contract for if he ever came back. Great idea in principle, like other successful small print such as the case of Adrian Morley and Iestyn Harris

Likelihood of legal challenge = high on this one for sure.

not sure, bradford nearly went broke for breaking a similar agreement between harris and leeds

Sure, but that's not really what you were saying originally was it? You said you'd have no problem with him going to the NRL. I think we should do everything possible to keep him, and anyone else with real talent, from going to the NRL because we need his talent here to compete with the NRL not just in international matches but also on a weekly basis. I can fully appreciate the temptation of the NRL but we should do everything we can to avoid losing the likes of Kyle to it. IMO, obviously.

No it shouldn't. If we have great talent here then it should be gracing our game and not the game in another country, not least another country that is perfectly capable of producing its own talent. Why should we look down on our own game and keep it at what you say is a lower level? Surely we need to be doing everything possible to facilitate home grown talent remaining in this country so that the standard of our national competition grows and our chances on the international front grow likewise?

I would have no problem with his decision. That is not to say I wouldn't be mightily depressed.

Your usenet buddy was correct. It was souths

I agree with your sentiment but I am also interested in our British players getting better as well and currently playing in the NRL can help that. Players who have ambition want to test themselves at the highest level so I wouldn't begrudge Eastmond trying his luck in the NRL but going to Yawnion is a completely different matter.

I really don't understand that rationale. They may well get better but they won't be playing for our clubs so how would that positively affect our game?


I'm confused. He wouldn't be playing for Saints or for any British club so what is the difference between him going to the NRL or to Union?

I would imagine that if they improve their game by playing in the NRL then we stand a better chance of turning over the Aussies which is important to me.



Because I want a talent like Eastmond to stay in the game. You appear to be focussing on Saints and Eastmond's importance to us whereas I am more interested in assessing his worth to our sport and in particular British rugby league. If he's going to play over here then I want it to be at Saints. If he wants to go the NRL then I will wish him the very best of luck. If he wants to go and play Yawnion then I'm not interested in him at all.

You are assuming that he would want to play for England should he end up in the NRL?


I still don't understand. You say you want him to be of value to the British game but you would be happy/not concerned/whatever to see him leave it?

Of course I am focusing upon Saints. He is a Saints-grown talent and I want our talent to stay with us. If he feels the need to move from Saints then I want British talent to stay within the British game. IMO, Kyle would be lost to the British game whether he went to the NRL or to Union, as neither are the British RL game.

Your distinction between Union and the NRL is totally lost on me I'm afraid. They both equal a loss to Saints and British RL of a talented player to me.

Double post.

I am assuming that the lure of winning the ashes would be too much for him to resist.



Well I see it differently and if you can't see why I would think that then I am at a loss to further explain it. I understand your point of view and I disagree with it for the reasons I have already stated.

Especially after 40 years of not winning them?

Possibly!


I would agree because I am just poles apart from you in this. I think you could prolly keep trying to explain it until you're blue in the face but I still wouldn't understand it! But thanks for trying anyway. (And that's not sarcastic, just in case it came across like that)

Why would he want to ditch his international career because he plays in the NRL? When has this ever happened?



Comparing a move to union and a move to Australia is like comparing a mars bar and a cabbage. One move and he has nothing to do with Rugby League whatsoever, the other he improves England's international credentials due to playing in a better league.

Both Mike & Me have seen Saints achieve everything we could ever hope for:

A Saints dynasty in which trophies came thick and fast.
Winning when all seemed lost against Bradford at Wembley when Robbie Paul scored a hat-trick (for me, the best match I've attended).
Repeatedly turning Bradford over in big games when they were a BIG team (in every sense of the word) and very often hot favourites.
Ending Wigan's dominance of the sport.
A record number of consecutive victories against them.
Hammering them on their own midden in the SL playoffs.
Hammering them in a Grand Final.
Hammering them in Cardiff.
Rolling Brisbane over - arguably our greatest victory.
75-0.
Wide to West.
Millward's comedy pie wind-ups.
Tommy Martyn - the LEGEND. Making a mug out of ELLERY HANLEY. "Knock on Tommy" (Pure comedy GOLD).
Keiron Cunningham - the best SL player of all time.
Jamie Lyon (the most talented player to don a Saints jersey since, perhaps, Murphy)
Chris Joynt - Captain Fantastic.
Mal Meninga, Paul Newlove, Allan Hunte, Anthony Sullivan.
Les Quirk - The best go-to winger when you needed someone to plough in where it hurts and score under extreme pressure.
Steve Prescott's last ditch tackle at Castleford to win us our first SL title.
KC tracking back eighty metres to deny Mark Smith.
God knows how many last minute get-out-of-jail performances.

We've done THE LOT. Even if we are never successful again I have enough fantastic memories to satisfy a lifetime.

The irritating mote in the eye is AUSTRALIA. Whilst we've played well in the odd game, success has always eluded us. And it phucking well hurts - because the lack of even a single Test Series victory against them has held our game back enormously.

I WANT that victory. I want it so bad I'm prepared to grit my teeth and see players like Eastmond & Tomkins & Burgess go to Australia where they will develop their games further so that one day in the future we will put a hurtin' on them.

And on that day I can die a happy man.

Why don't you just start supporting Australia? It would be a lot easier.

That's fine but we don't all feel the same.

Some of us want a successful Saints and want to see real talent embedded in our own sport so that it can raise its own standards. We don't want to further enhance a league that is already awash with talent. No thanks.

Kyle to stay in England - and more to the point, at Saints - for me. Regardless of our past glories. We have our future to consider and I definitely want him to be a part of that. I'm sure Wigan fans feel similarly about Tomkins.

If we have to lose Kyle, i'd much rather it be to Oz. However I dont think we need to lose him.

It has been reported that the highest payed player in British RU is Carl Hayman the All blacks prop at Newcastle on £350k/ year. This is alot, but it isnt out of our reach completely.
Our salary cap (including £50k extra for wello) is £1.7 mil, or £68k for each of the 25 squad players on average. If 10 are only on £20k (some youth players will be on less) it leaves an average of £100k for our top 15 players. If 10 of those are only on £50k (likes of Gardner, Fozz, etc) leaves an average of £200k for our top 5 players. so we arnt that far from RU wages at all.

This make a whole heap of assumptions, but shows how it can be quite possible for a very top RL player to be on over £200k

Just a thought to those who think we are completely incapable of competing with RU on wages

Welcome to the human race.

Sorry did I miss something, I thought we lost that game.

You missed the fact that players can put in good performances for a losing side.

Amen,
From a Wigan point of view I've seen even more (including 19 Challenge Cup Finals), but I want to be there when we beat the Aussies.

If we have to lose a few players to the NRL, then so be it.

Overthemoon Public Decree #3113

"You can't be world class in a losing side".

[size=50Curiously, this rules out Lockyer, Thurston, Inglis etc. because they've been on the end of a few tonkings by NZ.[/size