I think a few people are forgetting that the decision to deduct 2 points didn't come from the RFL - it was an independent panel's decision.
Nothing to do with Lenner's failed attempt at a break-away or his constant pulling-down of the governing body.
There is one reason and one reason only why Wigan have this deduction - form.

It’s not an error. The salary cap regulations are easily available and checked in less than 5 mins on the RFL website. It specifically states payments made to agents are included.

It wasn’t an error. It was an attempt to conceal payments.

Correct - and that is where Wigan's appeal against the deduction will fail.

Ian Lenagan, said: “Throughout this process, Wigan has been fully cooperative and transparent with no suggestion of concealment or deception and acceptance formally of the breach."

Apart from the last bit making no sense whatsoever, honest Ian suggests otherwise.

He's right though, no one has said anything about concealment or deception, except for a few experts on here. If a club really wanted to hide a 14k payment in a 1.85 million salary cap I'm sure they could.

Wigan have tried (and failed) to prove that the player's agent in question worked for them and the payment should not count toward the cap.

The RFL have. They weren’t declared payments. It was only when an audit was done that they came to light and then Wigan tried to deny they were relevant.

There is no reason whatsoever to not declare those payments other than to hide them. As I said, the regulations are incredibly easily looked up.

Yet the Wigan club denies that. Why would they lie?

In a world of 'fake news' can't we at least pretend that it was a £14k bung to get a World Cup game that was exposed, hence Wigan missing out yesterday and getting a points deduction today.

That's far more entertaining than the truth I'm sure.

Are you seriously asking why a guilty party would try to mitigate their behaviour?

Let’s turn the question around. Why would the RFL lie?

Don’t tell me. The RFL hate Wigan...

So are some of the responses from rival fans.



I figured it was more along the lines of 'We paid for X fees in a different currency and the exchange rate used wasn't the one we thought would be used'.

£5000 and 2 points not much of a deterrent really

doesn't surprise me that Wigan have been caught with their pants down again

Because they are Wigan.

As a Wakefield fan I look forward to the day when we can get near enough to the Salary cap to actually break it.

Wigan really did want to and they did, but they got caught

It only got discovered late in 2018 when looking at their 2017 figures, so it’ll be interesting to see if the same ‘mistakes’ are found later this year when their 2018 figures are checked over.

If Wigan haven’t made the same mistake with the 2018 figures does that mean they’ve realised their error from 2017....thus knowing about it BEFORE it was discovered by the RFL and hoping they wouldn’t be notice?

Either they’ve made the same mistake in 2018 or they’ve corrected it and didn’t inform the RFL themselves that their figures for 2017 were over....had they done the latter then doubt they’d be deducted points.

I’d add that a good reason why a points deduction is fair is because as Wigan admit in their club statement, they were over the cap for 22 weeks out of a 36 week season.

They argue they shouldn’t get a deduction because they didn’t reach the playoffs or win the cup.....however they did effect others not doing so.

Leneghan points out “Wigan gained no competitive advantage during this period of breach losing six games in succession at one stage.”.....the week after that sixth loss they beat Warrington in the cup QF, a few weeks later Salford in the SF, both denying them the chance to get to Wembley whilst they’ll surely have been over the cap.

They finished 3 points ahead of 9th placed Warrington before the Super 8’s. They’ll have picked up more than 3 league points in that 22 week period.

Very self absorbed for Wigan to just look at what they didn’t achieve that they forget what they stopped others achieving. They got a £2,500 fine....I’m sure they earned a lot more by reaching Wembley and being runners up and not playing Middle 8 fixtures which will have hit attendances thus profits.

That's along my lines of thinking. Are we to believe that the new administration team had no handover and turned up on a Monday n had to figure these things out themselves?

Did they employ people with no previous experience in their job?

And when the bills came through did they then not question where this money is to be allocated.

Even if it was an administrator error it's down to their incompetence in their role for not checking and confirming something that they were unsure on give the penalty of breaching cap.

Finaly the flight allowance I assume is part of a players contract and possibly would have been in the contract the previous or last year and possibly counted on their cap then?

I guess you can see things from a Wigan fan base and that it's not a lot of money to go over. The fines a laughable amount the only real punishment I'd a points deduction which I don't think will affect their league position come the end of the season. I think if rumours are to be believed that there was some kind of suspicion that Wigan have known they were over said no otbing n firstly denied it then the two points are deserved. If kit you have to think that the rfl are taking other factors into account on this and jot previous breaches.

Also the timings pretty bad for the start of the season let's hope tonight's game it too intense and action packed it hardly gets mentioned!!

Bradford Bulls chairman Andrew Chalmers is no stranger to controversy or a biting remark or two, with a long-standing public feud with Hull KR chairman Neil Hudgell in the past.
Now the Bulls supremo has come out with an extraordinary blast aimed at Wigan Warriors following their salary cap breach, turning his ire in the direction of his opposite number at Wigan, Ian Lenagan.

The Warriors sit on minus two points in Super League, having been handed a points deduction for a salary cap breach during the 2017 season. Wigan were penalised after six separate payments totalling £14,700 were not declared to the Rugby Football League.

Lenagan, speaking after the points deduction, said the club were guilty merely of an administrative error, with the honesty and integrity of the Warriors not in question. That sentiment doesn't appear to be shared by Chalmers.

Writing in his weekly column for the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, Chalmers issued a broadside towards Wigan and even called for Lenegan to step down.

He said: "I know, from our own salary cap returns, that they are based on honesty and self-declaration. I am not sure how you can innocently under-report costs.

 
"The average man in the street might conclude it's either wilful dishonesty, or at the very least, sheer incompetence.
"Apparently chairman Ian Lenagan is taking personal responsibility for it, which is right and proper, and for which he deserves respect. He should now do the honourable thing and resign."

There is no viable excuse from Wigan. The regulations are on the website. It’s easy.

They tried to hide it and got caught. Simple.

Why ?
I am in receipt of both car & fuel allowance, upon which I am taxed as earnings & it is automatically declared by my employer, flights or agents fees apply to the SC whether they suit Wigans agenda or not !

Do you get anything in brown envelopes?

Don't worry, I can't imagine it'll be too long before Wigan sack Hardaker for reverting to form.

Make of this what you will rugbyam.co.uk/elstone-says-wigan ... erplexing/ [i"Gottle of geer, gottle of geer......."[/i

Make of this what you will rugbyam.co.uk/elstone-says-wigan ... erplexing/ [i"Gottle of geer, gottle of geer......."[/i