Yes he did.

Keith Mason and Ian Sibbitt also

Chris Thorman

Richie Mathers

Jordan Tansey

Phil Wilkinson has said Rushton is leaning towards going. It seems a pretty big gamble to me for a kid I think would’ve got a debut here this season and had a sniff of getting plenty of games for our first team in 2021.

Mathers and Tansey were already established 1st team players, Rushton isn't.

The only ones I can think of who are comparable are the Burgess twins?

Moley reporting that rushton has signed a 3 year deal with the raiders today. Good luck to him, big move for a young lad

Good luck to him, but please Wigan, do not issue him with a get out of jail card Should he need it in 18 months time.

Why not?

Agreed,you leave the greatest club in the world (my opinion) then stay gone sick and tired of players using this as a stepping stone that’s fine but don’t expect a warm welcome when it goes belly up

Alright then, why should we?

Because we should sign the BEST AVAILABLE OPTION at the time of requiring a new player? Irrespective of whether that player left the club previously (And certainly in most cases, on Good terms?)

Agreed.

I don’t get all this negativity about resigning players if they are the best available at the time.

I am also confused by this somewhat naive line that Wigan shouldn’t be used as a stepping stone. It may sit uncomfortably with fans but that is exactly what we are as is every other SL club.

The NRL is the main competition in rugby league. It is of a higher standard, the players get more money and generally have a better lifestyle. Of course it’s not for everyone but most of the players especially the younger lads aspire to play in the NRL.

Rugby League is a minority sport in the Uk.

I actually think it’s a little ironic that the NRL could be the key to us starting to reverse that trend in the future.

The more English/British lads we get playing at that level week in week out the more chance we have of winning an Ashes series or a World Cup and giving the game a much needed boost in the UK.

Is it a trend I’m comfortable with? Absolutely not.

Can I understand and accept why it is happening. Absolutely despite it being frustrating for us fans.

Exactly. If we still think he's good enough for Wigan then we do what we can to sign him.

He’s showing some guts to take the plunge at such a young age and with no first team experience behind him. So frustrating to lose him but I wish him nothing but well. I’m not sure if there is an answer to the question of what the club could do to stop moves like this. When you’re the best side in rugby league at producing young talent, you’re going to have eyes on you and sadly we don’t have the finance to stave this off.

That’s slightly different to us issuing a get out of jail card.

Wouldn’t mind if they’d let us have one of their older academy lads in return if they’re not quite first team ready, like Hamlin etc

We should definitely be open to taking him back if he's good enough. Imagine if we went on to have ten years starring for Saints, Leeds or Wire?

I genuinely wish the lad well, big risk to back himself as much as he is. I can see this being a Mark Flanagan situation though, coming back a decent player in his early 20s, but having not played enough rugby to have really developed.

I know Flanagan has actually gone on to have a perfectly decent career and is going well at Salford, but I still think that decision stopped him from becoming a really top player.

I agree we should always look at taking a player back if they are good enough.But when they leave the club they should be made aware that the door they are going through isn’t a cat flap.

So if a player goes to test themselves in the NRL gor whatever reason it may be, you wouldn't allow them back?

So if Bateman decides he misses his daughter too much we can't have him back?

I think my first sentence answers your question

I've often thought that some kind of dual registration would be a good idea

We want to send players over to improve develop Eric but would like them to return to us at a decent age. Nrl sides often seem to be letting players go for cap space reasons then surely there is something to be worked out their.

At the moment it's a one way street getting one of their big earners for a season or a young promising player coming the other way would not be a bad thing would it ?

It's a way of countering the resourse drain to the nrl but gets more of our players over there to experience it and learn from it too. Clubs could work together better we could undoubtedly have a lot to learn but nrl clubs would probably identify a few things we may do that they had not thought about.

You cannot knock a player wanting to go test themselves at the highest level and to earn more money in a warmer climate. We should want our players to go over there and succeed and bring that into the international set up. I would though make a stipulation same as ru that to be selected for England or GB you must be playing in super league.

But you then say they need to know it's not a cat flap so which is it? Let them back or not?

Like I said I answered your question in the first sentence. By all means look at signing them again but don’t let them go thinking that it’s an easy option to comeback if it doesn’t work out.