[url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/rugby_league/2908004/Girls-whistle-at-the-boys.htmlWarrington leading the race to land Lee Smith[/url

The Sun reckon Wasps are willing to let Lee Smith return to RL for a 60k fee and Wire are apparently leading the chase. Quite how they can afford another GB International is probably a mystery to most in RL!

He is just the calibre of player we should be interested in though. I expect the fee wanted may perhaps be one of a few stumbling blocks. Unless we're willing to spend some of the Burgess compensation and letting one of our 1st team squad join Wakefield!! Pure speculation on my part.

If we could bring southernwood and smith in and only lose halley then that would be a blinding piece of business imo. reardon at with smith on wing could be a very good pairing and both young so could bring stability to that side for a few years. Finding the 60k and Smiths wages would be stumbling block I'd imagine. Now if we could find a NL club willing to take worrincy off our hands in a free transfer we could be in business.

We'd probably have to pay somebody to take Worrincy off our hands!

Doubt anyone will be able to match Warrington's spending power.

Lee Smith is the perfect player to improve our backline. He's got safe hands, he's got pace and he knows the way to the try line. I think 60k for him is a bargain. Peter Hood did say at the fan's forum that we were not spending the full cap but could if needed (and then shot me daggers for really pushing for clarity on that point

) so I would hope wages would not be a problem. There's also Sculthorpe, I hate to kick a man when he's down but it does seem unlikely he will ever play for us, so there's some extra cap space too. However, the story IS from the sun. So I shall not be getting too excited

PH effectively contradicted himself though by saying that the club had chosen instead to spend money on the new training facilities. He was very careful with his choice of words over the cap, and I think what he actually said was not the same as what many folk think he said. I suspect the only way the club could spend more on players would be if they secure more income.

If the club was able to cancel Scully's contract - and was minded to - the compensation settlement would still count under the cap, as I understand it.

I guess scraping 7k for a home game regardless of the opposition makes it hard for a self sufficient club to spend up to the cap limit. But if Hood is serious about a top 4 finish (as he stated in last nights match programme) then we need to improve certain area's of our squad. I'm not sure Smith would transform us but he'd be a sizeable step in the right direction.

I think it is fairly doubtful that he will be heading to the Bulls though.

He was out of contract at Leeds, wasn't he?

There'd be no chance of Harris repeat?

I can't quite believe what I'm reading here. Yes Lee Smith is a good player and yes would be an exallent addition to the squad. But at the expense of Michael Worrincy? He's not in the same league and anyone who thinks he is must be on drugs. Losing Worrincy for Lee Smith is not an optio if the club is to get back to where they want to be.

Watching Northampton v Wasps game this evening and the comms said he is not leaving...Said he was playing in an "A Game for Wasps"......

They wouldnt let us loan him back because they say he's at a pivotal learning pointand the next month will distinguish how he will turn out, or some crap like that


Either way theyll be laughing if they get 60k for him. Played 1 game and they make a pretty penny off him.

He's a good player, and would add a bit of skill to our backline.

He comes across as a bit of a backchatter (not in a good way) and is constantly moaning to the referee. Would take him, but not sure whether we could afford the 60k plus his wages.

I believe he is very good friends with Nick Scruton though, so that could sway it.


We should be interested, but as said above, nobody will match Wire's spending power, but how on earth could they fit him under an already surely close to the limit salary cap?

Dont worry about the cap. Its live now so the RFL wouldnt let anyone sign a player they couldnt afford.

Image rights, players wives etc. etc.

If Warrington manage to get Smith aswell then i'd be wondering why plenty of internationals are playing for peanuts. King & Monaghan will be on a shedload, as will Morley, Carvell, Myler, Atkins & Westwood.

You would think so but maybe we over-estimate their actual worth. Look at Leeds, we have 14 internationals or ex internationals and we are under the cap by a little bit. If a team brings in a wage structure like we do it makes it easier. IIRC Ellis came for a chunk less than he wanted because Hetherington wouldnt budge. Maybe its the same over there.

Perhaps. But King must be near the top of the SL wage list, with Orford & Buderus. Plenty of their players could have had the pick of SL teams, so something must have swayed them towards Warrington (and with their under-achievers status it can't just have been silverware (I know they won the CC last year)).

I think atm they must be right bang on the limit, I fail to see how a squad as good as Warringtons can fit another England international under the cap.

But, what we really need to remember is: It's the Sun!! It's probably not got much truth to it anyway.

[urlhttp://www.lasttackle.com/feature_1721-transfer-gossip.html[/url

Couple of other interesting ones there.

Shenton is one we should definitely look to get on board, Can't see us going for Westerman with the back-rowers we've got coming through. Same with Owen.


Not just the Sun spouting the 60k fee though.

A couple of years ago when Shenton signed his extension at Cas I was gutted we didn't get him. But since then he's been nothing more than average imo, and was totally shown up in the four nations.

Saying that, he's probably still one of the best young British centres around, so if we need a homegrown centre then I suppose we could do worse.

you have no idea what players are on but I would suggest sinfield, peacock, and Webb are the highest paid at Leeds but I would be just guessing like you.

Yeah its just guessing ATEOTD, its just that an ex Australia captain won't come cheap

Ex would be the first clue to suggest he isn't on as much as people think. Put that along side gh been tight with wages and he would be out of the top earners in sl. in the nrl it doesn't take long before you lose top earner status at a club, I would think at Newcastle gidley would be top earner, then jarrad mullen. realise how i left senior out of the top earners at Leeds as his contract will have peaked a few years ago in my humble opion(guessing).

Brillant player.

Lee Smith leaves Wasps www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 51943.html

Lee Smith leaves Wasps www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 51943.html

Quote ="dddooommm"Lee Smith leaves Wasps www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 51943.html'" Watch him end up at Leeds Carneigie Union and play the odd game for the Rhinos.......

Quote ="dddooommm"Lee Smith leaves Wasps www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 51943.html'" Watch him end up at Leeds Carneigie Union and play the odd game for the Rhinos.......

can Leeds afford him under the salary cap? I can't see how