That it is.

The more reasonable fan will appreciate that, it's a short career and if he does go then good luck to him.

It doesn't change the fact though that it is seriously damaging to the sport as a whole, as it seems to indicate a growing trend amongst good, talented young players.

Can you imagine what state we'd be in if, heaven forbid, Sam, Lomax, Roby, Gaskell, Jones-Bishop et al end up following suit?

I trust that was tongue in cheek, otherwise you are a right f@nny f@rt

Maybe they've done what we did with the Adamson brothers and got the wrong one.

This is the last thing we need.

For the good of the game we have to keep our talent or we will end up becoming a feeder club for union,personally I hope Joel and Sam stay in the game even if it's for Wigan for the rest of their careers.

I have no problem with him going to Union, good luck to him, i was happy that he wouldn't be playing for England as i think he is average but looks better because he plays in a good team. I think Union are signing another dud, but they have history of that!

Joel Tomkins is good but not that good and easily replaceable. However compared to the talentless garbage the England team put out in the RWC he will be a huge improvement and he probably realises that as much as anyone. I can't blame him for chasing easy money because unlike Sam he wouldn't be offered much in the NRL.

What Sam Tomkins does would be more of a concern, though if he goes to the NRL in many ways this is a positive for SL.

Great news!

It'll make wigan weaker is S.Tomkins goes and it'll free us of the petulant little rat.

I echo saddened, get booing him I say!

If we can so easily replace the Joel Tomkins of our game, why can we find so many places for such average imports?

players will go to union more often due to the money, don't blame them if they do go but i have more respect for players who reject the union cash rich clubs and stay for the love of our game for less money

He's only been standout in the back row and that's a role easier to fill at present. The worry is it makes it easier to lure sam Tomkins, that's the big worry for English RL.

Is it me or does it seem like a coincidence that Rugby Union are intrested in league players like Joel Tomkins at the same time when England got knocked out of the world cup by France. As far a I am concerned let them throw money at the problem all they like. Rugby League can and will produce replacements like we replaced Ashton alright. However it would help if the salary cap was increased and the overseas qouta was reduced too.

yeah, we produced replacements for Ashton, we are falling over replacements for Ashton. Thats why we managed to give a gig to Semi Tadulala last year

When people say we replaced Ashton, they mean we have a number of good English wingers to select from in the likes of Hall, McGilvray, Briscoe, Charnley, Broughton etc – the oldest of which is 23 and represent the best group of young English wingers for some time (and every one of them is better than the other wingers selected in the England RU World Cup squad)

Fat faced Ashton is rubbish!

He ran away from a tackle against Wakey when Richard Moore ran at him. Tart.

He's also one of the England RU muppets in the sexual harassment accusations in the media.

Good riddance.

That's a bit obtuse; you're transposing the state of English RL onto a club that had lurched into administration off the back of years of mismanagement and was cobbling together a scratch squad.

There are plenty of talented young English wingers who can more than fill Ashton's boots; Hall, Briscoe and Charnley to name just a few.

Though clearly not enough of them
We havent replaced Ashton, if we had we wouldnt have space for the likes of Tadulala in our league.

This.

Joel Tomkins isn't anything special. His time in union is likely to be more reminiscent of Chev Walker and Barry John Mather than Jason Robinson.

Not really.

Its not a dig at Wakefield, more highlighting how ridiculous it is to state the players we are losing to RU are replaced when large parts of the league are relying on fairly poor overseas players to fill their squads. Wakefield arent the only ones.

Though until you can name 26 (give or take a few TOP quality imports) we dont have enough. It is undoubted that Ashton would get a game in SL. Until we are at a level that he wouldnt then we havent replaced him and our league is poorer for having lost him.

Ah that's better, saying it twice makes it true.

As previously stated, Tadulala was ok for Wakefield when he arrived, as Wakefield had no one left to play, and no one available to buy that wasn't already signed up mid season, and no money to buy anyway.
Chris Ashton was only just playing rep rugby when he left, he was on the verge of being regarded as good as he'd had some good games but only that. I seem to remember Mathers was in the same crop.
We have had good english wingers playing at all levels since he left that would have made it at least questionable that he would be the current England winger or fullback.

That.

How come we need class english wingers for every club to replace Ashton? Surely, since there was only one Ashton, to replace him we only needed one good winger. And didn't Ashton play fullback for Wigan? So therefore, haven't we technically replaced him with Sam Tomkins (after Cameron Phelps filled the hole)?

I can see both sides of this but Smokey (although being a bit OTT) does have a point. Tomkins breaks his leg V Wales and Widdop pulls a shoulder in the same game. Our options now look disasterously thin. Until we have 4, 5 or even 6 good options vying for the position, then Chris Ashton is a loss to our sport.

Agreed. Even fatty Ashton got in the limelight because he actually knew how to score a try, from what the radios been saying this has been coached out of him. So what you've got is a fat, slower winger who can't do anything, but he talks clearer now.

And why wasnt there anyone available to buy considering we have a ready supply of players of the quality of Chris Ashton and Joel Tomkins just hanging about waiting for a chance?

It doesnt matter if he played for England now or not, he was good enough to play SL and is better than some SL players playing now, therefore he hasnt been replaced and the game is poorer without him.

Because if we dont have enough to start with, then lose one, then get a new one, we havent replaced the one we have lost but the ones we were missing in the first place.