Wow. Just what do you do as an aspiring club in this country? The current (average) crop of home grown talent is spread so thinly that the quality of the comp is a joke. And as soon as you get a half decent overseas player put in a couple of decent performances, he lands an NRL contract.

The comment in that article says it all: "at his age he was arguably too talented and too young to end up in the Super League". I wouldn't bet Stevo's mortgage on Barba seeing out his Saints contract: he'll either do well and get snapped up back home, or do poorly and get binned off for not justifying his salary. Best Saints can hope for is he does 'just OK' for a couple of seasons.

I really don't know where the game in this country can go from here. I'm an optimist, but I genuinely fear for the future of the game as a top flight sport.

I would image Hiku has now taken part in training led by Agar and decided he would rather not do so for the foreseeable future.
At Cas we have Millington, Roberts, Moors, Jesse Sene-Lafeo who have all been more than half decent. They haven't gone back the the NRL.
It was clear when Agar joined Warrington that you were going to have problems.

Is the move immediate or after our last 3 games?

Just does not make sense if he was instrumental in the signing of Akoula,if it is true well can only see him changing his mind aswell, this is a question that needs asking of Karl at 2pm today.

So what do Warrington get out of this? We lose one of our key players, someone to build a team around, someone to help sell next seasons aspirations and season tickets. Warrington allow him to go, free of charge, as far as we know, on sentimental grounds. Did we ask for a transfer fee to compensate for the loss of his services, did we try to do a deal to perhaps bring over some Warrior who may not be getting in their first team but experience in the UK may help them or did we just roll over, shrug our shoulders and say good luck Peta? I understand that it is pointless trying to keep hold of a player who's heart is elsewhere, but if he wants a move, and another club wants him, turn that problem into an opportunity. Perhaps we will learn something later...?

We need to take a leaf out of Hetherington's book and retain registration until they pay, not roll over and let him leave.

Unless the contract he signed had a NRL release clause and we're saying compassionate grounds to cover our lack of commercial nouse (gotta love a conspiracy theory)

Maybe its about time we just recognised the benefits clubs achieve through formalised twinning/ development/ partnering with an NRL club?

SL players who have gone over there generally come back a bit better (even those who haven't played much first grade) and fringe NRL players (and miscreants) can come over here for game time.

His contract always had a release option at the end of this season if he got an offer from the NRL. If you don't accept such clauses then you will never be able to make signings like Hiku. That is the reality of Super League at the moment.

Welcome back.

So why the smoke screen of "compassionate grounds" if the exit clause was triggered?

Any chance you could get shut of him before 3...

Unless I have missed it, there has been no club statement as yet on Hiku's departure and the reasons for it.

Let's just ask Karl at Bevan statue at 2pm.

Was there no mention of this at the meeting along with flogging season tickets ?

I can't wait for Bonfire Night, at least then Halloween will be well and truly over. It's nightmare after nightmare on Buckley Street.

No, which is why I'm going along to ask at 2.

The article stated will be confirmed by wire next week

If this happens than it's a real blow for us and super league

It also raises concearns about what's going on at the club we were unable to convince barba to sign and now hiku is off at the first opportunity !!

Not a good move to just allow him to go and not a good sign for SL in general that any decent player will up sticks at the first offer

It now raises the question do we play him ?? I personally say drop him and send him home now no point. Hanging on to him if he doesn't want to be here or was this the agreement with him see out the end of the season and go to warriors next year if it was announced as a johns style signing in to see end of season out then back to nrl than fine but this whole thing just shows we're not learning our lesson with regards to nrl players

To be fair why would he want to be part of our shambles at the minute. I wouldn't want to turn out and put my career and reputation on the line under our coaching regime at the minute. They're making good players look dire and average players look like total amateurs.

Honestly I would clear out every coach at the club and start again, we need to remove the comfort zone that seems to have been created.

Peed off that we haven't got a song for him. He's at the wrong for that now. Sick of hearing der der der and wire wire wire.

Just spoken to karl fitzpatrick at statue its true he is being released END OF.

Fair enough if that's your view, but why is that on this thread? Anyone thinking that Hiku leaving is anything to do with our coaching team is surely deluded: there are much bigger issues in SL than whether Smith and Agar are in charge of the Wire!

Indeed this is a SL issue as stated by paul youane. These clauses have to be put in contracts...bet your life barba has got one. There is only ONE way around this and that is to make the competition more lucrative and desirable to play in (as the weather isnt going to get em here)....and we do that by scrapping the salary cap. There is no other option....only mediocrity and decline.

We can't sign players offering the biggest wages in the league and we can't find the rare gems that go under the radar.

So. What is our plan. We're a shambles at the moment. If Karl HAS said he is gone to those at game but won't confirm it to the Warrington Guardian, he's a shambles too and we may as well play an academy player in his position.

That's it i'm done with the wire now save my money and get more enjoyment watching my son play for woolston rovers in the ncl more honest and a very good standard of rugby league

Not sure why some are questioning WHY he's off? We're fighting relegation in a 2nd rate League on the other side of the planet and he's been offered 3 years in the sports premier league at the Warriors back home.... no brainer.

The Lomax rumour now makes some sense.