After seeing Chris Ashtons MOM performance for England at the weekend, who would you say is the biggest loss to union??

Chris Ashton?
Jason Robinson?

None of them.

Myler & Ashton weren't doing much in league. Robinson & Farrell were old, Hape wasn't as good as when he first arrived by the time he left for union.

Henry Fa'filli

Rikki Sherrife. Devestating. Taken from us in his pomp!!

I'd say Henry Paul. Still in his pomp when he was at Bradford, I think he was one of the best players I've seen. I know he came back, but not with any effect.
His union career was spent mostly on the international 7's tour, which, although was probably a lot of fun, isn't the best use of talent in my book.

Shaun Edwards, Mike Ford. The sons of Farrell and Ford.

Martin Offiah.... oh hang on thats not right... erm Jonathan Davies.... oh this is going very well.

I honestly don't see the diff between losing a player to say another superleague club and a player retiring or going to union.
Soon as they are gone they are forgotten.

Do Wigan fans really care about Ashton leaving? they have just won superleague!

Ashton was turd in RL, he's where he needs to be now. Alright he's earing loads of money, but he's playing the sport where he has a acres of space and time to showcase skills that he never could in league, simply because league is much better, quicker, more skillful, need I go on...

Anyone who thinks ashton is a loss to rugby league need only look up Richard Moore's try for Wakey against Wigan.

Never seen that before, wonder what Martin Johnson would think of that if he saw it

Tait
Iestyn
Edwards
Larder

all losses

Couldn't care less about that pudding Puglsey

Yep, I'd go for Edwards, maybe one day he'll be back, hopefully coaching the national team.

Ashton wasn't turd for Wigan, and he'd have been a great attacking runner in either code. His "Try of the century" at Twickers was only such big news because England can't score a bloody try in Union. Certain players ARE crap and are still try machines - remember Danny Arnold? He'd have been England RU captain

No and it's amusing everytime this gets brought up. I've no doubt he would have been a talented and useful player in our code but compared to Sam Tomkins? He's nowhere near the same quality!

I'd be more worried if Rugby Union started snaffling up our forwards at a young age rather than any backs.

Vainakolo and Hape, big loss to rugby league and England

Really?? I mean, really??

In Vainikolo's last season he was way over weight, lost all his speed and generally wasn't fit for the game. His game consisted of being given the ball five metres from the line and falling over the winger to score.

Hape was good, but was he really that good? Also, he's a Kiwi, so no loss to England.

Pity we can't link to a video of Chris Ashton running away from Richard Moore when he scored that try. The question of whether Wigan miss him would never need to be asked again.

The England comment was a bit tongue in cheek as they both play for England RU.

Seriously you dont think Vainakolo was any good? Best winger of the super league era IMO

Danny Williams

Of course he was, I don't think anyone can dispute that. I was there for the Bradford-Wigan match on the opening game of the 2004 season when he scored five tries. Even as a Wakefield fan I had to acknowledge that I was witnessing true greatness.

But, before he left Bradford it was clear he was a different player. Union's gain was our greater gain you could say.

There's no doubt we have lost some talent like Robinson,Ashton and now possibly Eastmond to the dark side.
What really worries me is that sometime in the future union could actually take over RL (Pro level).

That tickled me did that!! Just brought up the Newcastle RU press release again.

On a serious note whilst losing players is devastating i do feel it is the knowledge/ experience we loose in not having people like Edwards, Ford and Steadman around. Edwards is even more important from a media point of view. I would love someone to tempt him back to SL - cash and the bright lights of London will keep him away for a while yet i fear

I think the point I was trying to make is when will the financial pull of union stop our young players leaving a much better sport?

Youve only got to look at Eastmond and understand that the talent that we develop needs to stay within our sport if we are to have any chance of catching the aussie!! Obviously they have a much larger population to develop talent from and the pull of union is not as great however you only need to look at Sonny Bill who left the game a couple of years ago!

Why has the value of the joy of the game suddenly been lost over recent years???

Success breads success and players can see those who have switched codes and been successful playing the easier game for more money and greater international accliam is quite a draw,and the ones who don't break into the England side come straight back to league.

I really hope this doesn't turn into lets increase salary cap bollox so we can beat the aussies, because the only rosy future i see for league is one where the goal is to be cash rich and if that means asset poor so be it, hell Union have been cash rich asset poor for their entire existance and it hasn't stopped the media drooling over the 5/6 nations every year.