www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6630209144 Looks like Wigan Warriors will be a Wigan juniors trained only club before too long.

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/ ... 6630209144 Looks like Wigan Warriors will be a Wigan juniors trained only club before too long.

It's a nice change that an Aussie has spent his best years in SL and is going back to the NRL for a final pay day.

you don't mean that all these years Richards has been over and we've been told he'd never get in an NRL team etc was just bluster and bullsh|t?

Of course it was. Richards is a credit to the sport.

Doubt he will be the last, increased salary cap and extra teams will mean we will lose a few of the better Aussies as well as the best of our own.

So?

The solution is to invest in producing more home-grown talent, just like the Aussies did 40 years ago. Instead we'll just get a whingeathon about increasing the salary cap, so that clubs who can't turn a profit today can go bust even quicker

I totally agree with you, I know Rovers have had many overseas players, but I long for the day we can field a competitive side with the majority having come through the ranks at the club.

He's been a great signing for Wigan, will be sad to see him go.

Interesting that Richards can get rehired as a winger in the NRL at age 31. It is a tribute to his talent, including his goal kicking.

Look out for Lote Tuqiri being on the market. Maybe he will be signed by Wigan?

Not every move is/will be totally dependant on the salary cap differences. Wane says Richards wants to move his family back home which is understandable and we saw the roles reversed in SL's favour when Gareth Ellis came back to England.

We don't need cap reform so that we can buy more Aussies, we need cap reform so that we can a) keep our best, but b) much more importantly but hardly ever mentioned, prove - by example - to young athletes, that if you have talent and choose Rugby League, and you turn out to be a superstar, you can make a great living without being forced to live on the other side of the world (not everyone wants to) , or play a 'sport' where you'll touch the ball twice every game (before kicking it into the stand).

As far as I'm concerned you can massively restrict the number of Aussie imports.

Note, cap *reform*. Not just a dumb "increase the cap".

What you say is more true when young families are involved, and players need extended family (like grandparents) to help with raising toddlers. However when the players are single they don't feel the need to repatriate as much.

Another factor is where the club plays. Gareth Ellis was with West Tigers, and James Graham with Canterbury, both clubs are in the not so attractive (relatively speaking) western suburbs of Sydney. The Burgess brothers are at South Sydney and have chosen to live in the delightful beachside suburb of Coogee. That, plus the fact that they are single, plus the fact that their mum has moved out to Sydney, makes them less likely to get homesick. I think you will see all the Burgess brothers buying property and getting permanent residence in Australia before too long.

You have to hand it to Russell Crowe, he has made a brilliant gamble in signing all of the Burgess brothers. He will probably be able to keep them at Souths for the rest of their rugby league careers.

As they get older and all being forwards I would be amazed if at least 1 didn't find himself struggling to get games. He might be happy to stay at the club or move to another NRL club or try his luck back in SL.

One unintended consequence of the Burgess family slowly dominating the pack, especially the front row at South Sydney (next year they could have 3 Burgess props and Sam in the back row) is that Roy Asotasi is likely to leave next year . He would be a good buy for an English club.

While I don't disagree Richards is a talented player and from what I have seen very professional and seems a decent bloke. But is him getting a NRL gig on the wing a tribute to his tallent or exposing the big hype some people give the NRL?
Or a mix of the two

I think it is a tribute to his talent, esp. his versatility. He might be used as a full back, where the Wests Tigers don't have a talented contender. Plus he is a very good goal kicker which is a big plus.

Every Australian RL fan remembers his try in the 2005 Grand Final off the magical Benji Marshall run and reverse flick pass.

would Wigan let him go early? before the next cup round preferably.

Highly doubtful, but it depends on Richards' wishes I guess. No idea when schools start in Australia but it's probably September? If that's the case, his kids will miss a few weeks, no biggie.

He will see out this season I think. Does anyone know any different?

School starts in Australia in February. Australia is in the southern hemisphere. His kids are alright.

Injuries will beat the best out of the Burgess clan and maybe their egos too?

For years people have been calling for less imports, well this year for the first time in decades more players have gone from SL to the NRL than the other way around. The well is drying up. Lets see if the rfl/clubs have a strategy for how they are going to increase the jnr pool to ensure there is enough local talent coming through to replace these missing antipodeans. I suspect the quality of SL is going to dip quite a bit for the next few years.

i was staying at the same hotel as him and his family in Turkey last year. He has an Aussie wife and 2 young kids, i can see why he wants to take them to Aus before they develop a Wigan accent and end up on the dole