cant remember him but thats not a surprise cos iv'e never been any good with names.

Sam Tomkins.

I'm very surprised by this one. Not that Eastmond is chasing a pot of gold, but that a RU club is looking to sign a player like him. The easiest transition from RL to RU is in the outside backs. Halfbacks and forwards are completely different animals in either sport. Robinson was so successful in switching because he was a winger and therefore didn't get involved in play a great deal. The same goes for Ashton.

As a halfback, Eastmond will find it very hard to make the switch. It wouldn't surprise me if he only lasted a season or two before re-joining the greatest game of all.

We've had all these stories of doom about how RL is going to be pillaged since RU turned pro. It hasn't really happened and IMO it reflects really badly on RU that despite all their mega-millions, they still aren't producing good enough young 'in house' players to really compete at International level.

There'll be other 'Eastmond's' in the RL system and the sport will keep on producing them in far bigger quantities and to a far higher standard than the RU system could even dream of.

If anyone listend to Matt Dawsons programme on radio 5 about a month ago, Brian Moore outlined the reasons that RU pick up our youngsters and the reason that English RU players are at their best late 20's. He said that RL training methods for youngsters is far more advanced than RU. RU teach strict rules of how to play the game for juniors, don't deviate and hardley teach flare and skill with the ball. This is why we have excellent young players that they can develope quickly to suit their code. The other thing Brian Moore and Matt Dawson agreed on was that the career of a player is far longer at the top in RU than RL because RL puts a lot more strees on the body due to it being faster, more physical and generaly a far better game than that pile of kick and clap tripe that makes my bloody blood boil every time I have a conversation with a stupid southerner who tries to tell me that their crap code is better than the best sport on this planet. Phew, thought I was loosing it there for a moment.

Are you sure you are quoting word for word there?





Also I still think it depends what sport you are introduced to when you was a kid, influenced by family, school, can determine which sport you take to. My mates young son went to Leigh RU for training and playing - not tackling. I asked why not take him to 1 of RL amateur clubs instead, which he simply said all his mates are at Leigh RU. Thats where the seed can get planted tho.
I have mentioned before on here that say if you was born and/or brought up in a RU stronghold, chances are you would be RU fan.

Problem with that is he will get the ball once or twice a game and be encouraged to hoof it into the stands on both occasions. What a waste. I'd wish him well, but I wouldn't mean it.

Do you see any quotation marks and unless I am going mad or hearing things that is roughly what they said. I listened to the whole show because Ian Millward was a contributor on it. You should read my thread and consider you post as mine alludes to the type of training the different sports recieve at junior level not what code an individual decides to partake in. Both Brian Moore and Matt Dawson are avid RL watchers by the way.

OMG

Chill out please matey. I read your post with genuine interest. I saw the last bit as funny as in humour.
Obviously you put your own slant on the last bit because clearly you don't like Union, which I just put a comment down which I thought was interesting to mention about the sport (and club) you support is influenced by where you are born or brought up - along with the early brain washing by parents/schools


.

it would be criminal if that was to happen.

Agreed, Tomkins > Eastmond by some distance.

Yeh you are right there. Just a shame he plays for the Pies as he is a great talent. More surprisingly I don't think any UK RU club could afford him.

im just surprised with everything thats on offer in RU there arnt more RL players clammering to switch codes.

Because they are men and are up for it.

i know they must love the game but i wonder how many players wish they could get the same benefits out of it as there RU counterparts.

Union could buy anyone willing to sell themselves. For a start, it sells out Twickenham six times a year or more, and (unlike Wembley and Old Trafford) it actually owns the stadium. Plus its international tv rights and its corporate sponsorship deals are worth a good deal more than ours. And that's ignoring the fact that it has double our number of participants, and that it is the sport of choice of the rich, old-money establishment and of the super-rich, new money in the City.

I think they'll see Eastmond as a fullback, much like they did with Robinson. The successful transition of Ashton, and particularly Myler, are the precidents.

I did warn about this a couple of months ago... when defending the importance of expansion as the only alternative to a slow and lingering demise as Union drains the stars from our game.

Union is much harder to learn and not many league players will make it in Union.

That is NOT to say it's better.... I'd rather watch paint dry... but the tackle area is entirely different, the breakdown has no equivalent in league, many of the core skills are counter-intuitive to a player who's brought up retaining possession at all costs. Union thinks Farrell, Harris and Henry Paul were all failures, and doesn't have much time for Vainakolo. Don't even mention Karl Price, Chev Walker and Lee Smith. The only real successes are Ashton and Myler, and before that Robinson and the Aussie backline Toquiri, Rodgers and Sailor.

Undeniable that the RFU make more money than the RFL but they do not give it to the top clubs' as Mr Chairman says' they pump theirs into the grass roots. I honestly can't see Leicester' Wasps Bath et al offering Tomkins the money the Pies will be paying Tomkins.

i believe the rfl pumps 30% of its income into grass roots RL.
unfortunately none of that comes from sky tv.
all the money from sky goes directly to the member clubs of super league europe ltd.
good innit.

And the rest goes where ?

champ clubs get about £70thou each.
i dont know what champ one gets but it wont be as much will it?.
then theres prize money and wages for staff and anything else that goes into running a business.

Running the RFL , and of course the 2 million a year they give to the Championship clubs

You`ll always get the odd snobby, pretentious one .

Peanuts then in the scheme of things when you think of the money Non Relegation League clubs get from Sky. Think you meant the RFU rather than the RFL.

this is the sole reason why the gap between the two leagues has grown so big.

frank do you remember the lisa meeting we attended when AT and IM attended?. IM said to AT we get about 70k and AT nodded in agreement.
so when starbug says the championships get about 2mil,i think hes being very generous to the rfl.

Would that not include any prize money also?
That's over 1.5 million if every Champ club including Champ 1 got 70k each.