Not quite as silly as it first sounds (although I did laugh at first). If we don't have enough room under the cap then Williams to Leigh till the end of the season, back with us for 2022. No rival team (chasing trophies) will do us the favour will they.

I agree. Ultimately we’ve got to balance our risk and reward;

We sign a good prop but miss out on George?
We have some decent go forward but in the position at seasons end where we need an established HB. George goes to Warrington partnering Trueman and Wire overtake us in the league.

Sign George miss out on a prop?
We’d have to release someone, Hastings I’d imagine. Gives us then a solid and long term HB partnership in GW and Smith with arguably the best back line in SL. With a few players off contract and rumoured to be leaving at seasons end we invest in a prop (or 2) then. We may not win SL but long term we have a stable HB partnership.

It’s a no brainier IMO.

I don't think it's that simple.

If I was Saints and had the money available for a short to term deal - I'd be all over him. If he went to Saints for the rest of the year, they'd walk the league.

If the roles were reversed and this was Thompson, I'd be more than happy to see him here for 6 months. Obviously you'd have to believe that he'd be committed, but that's down to the player.

Not as simple as that
The RFL can alter the salary cap value of a player to avoid teams breaking the spirit of the cap, I.e. deferred payments etc.

If we accept that hebis marquee, and that we only have 1 nominated marquee (which I don't as it wouldn't make much sense not to nominate a 2nd player) We would need approx 5k per month on face value.

But if another player has to come off marquee to allocate it to GW then their new full value would count
So if a player is currently getting 250 but only 150 on the cap then suddenly that 100k (approx 8k per month) is required on top ofnthe 5k for george meaning we currently would need to be 13k under that cap.

Obviously that's only 1 scenario and other players may move on, go on loan, even possibly retire etc to move things around so lots of this possible.

But as a I said on our rugby WhatsApp
No-one will have worked harder over previous years to help and work with GW and his ambitions over the years than IL and KR, and no one will work harder than these guys toget him back, I have full confidence in that.
And if we have treated these players well in the past it should stand us in good stead moving forward.

I just don't see how that works for this particular situation?

If we signed GW for 2022, but allowed him to play for another side this season - have we set his value i.e if we have to pay him what he's worth in 2022, does everyone else?

Surely it's based off demand instead? You're only worth what someone is willing to/can pay. If no one has marquee money available then his value for this year is reduced.

Wont Canberra have to pay a portion of his wages? .I recollect Leeds getting a player from the NRL and it cost them nothing as his last NRL club was paying the wages.

Not unless the 2 clubs agree to that plus other circumstances

He is talking about us signing him this season on pennies and then on a wedge next year.

People want a simplistic answer to a VERY VERU complicated situation
But you can't pay a player 1000 a year this year and 300,000 a year the year after

If you look at the M.E.N report it alludes to it in there.

"Some have pointed out that Leeds could offer him a smaller contract this year then increase it the year after, but the salary cap does not work in such a way. Instead, players are given a cap value by the RFL, and clubs must keep that under £2.1m, rather than the actual wages being paid out."

Now I'm sure can ask a million questions about that, and that makes it sound like it isn't true, but it is, and you need to read hundreds of pages and be a philadelphia lawyer to work it out.

But in the short, what I'm trying to say, is that its a thousand times more complicated than what people on here, Facebook and twitter make out it is.

Not read the thread.
For me, I would be going all out for him. No brainer. £75K as a club trained player if we can find the space you sign George Williams back.
Top class player. I think he has been excellent in the NRL. Totally unprecedented times with COVID and I cannot blame him for wanting to come back given his personal circumstances.

With Hastings leaving, Tommy close to retiring, French future uncertain and Jai Field still an unknown in respect to how good he is, signing George and having him and Smith at the helm would be an amazing result IMO.

Yes still need a prop, but right now from what I can see there isn't quality sat there available. George Williams IS available. Let's get him. I am sure the club are going hell for leather to get him and I reckon given the choice George would pick Wigan over anyone else.

The challenge is the salary cap. Let's see how we get on.

I agree. If we have to stick with what we have (and that means including Clubb when he comes back) then through gritted teeth so be it.

It would be one hell of a deal to miss out on considering that 75k maximum cap take up. If it has to be now, it has to be now because whilst we might not really need the deal now, we’re desperate for it next season. We can’t go in to 2022 with just Field, Smith and Powell for the 6,7 and 9 positions as there is very little behind them in the academy ready to step up (Brad O’Neil could potentially break through but I wouldn’t think he’d be first reserve and there’s no young halfbacks ready after Smith) I think ideally we’d be looking at Williams and Smith at 6 and 7, Powell 9 and then Field covering fullback and stand off, which would allow Williams to spell in at hooker if needs be. There’s an awful lot up in the air though because that’s all on the presumption that Bevan French will be here. If not than we’ll need a fullback as well or two centres if we move Hardaker to the back on a full time basis.

All fun and games. We don’t do settled squads, that’s for sure.

He will unveiled as a Wigan player within a week.

Just a couple of loose ends to tie up

If he joins in 2021 it would be an interesting combo with Hastings. Assuming Bevan is out for the year, perhaps Jai Field could come in at fullback if the attack isn't flowing with Zak (despite his individual qualities I'm not sure our attack has ever worked that well when he plays there). Lam would also have to decide between Leuluai and Smith as his first choice back up.

Doesn't change our core weakness in the front row though and perhaps including 2021 in a contract for Williams might mean recruiting a prop isnt possible.

His last tackle plays near the line would be very handy this season. They’re pretty dire at the minute, with Smith struggling to get the ball through the line when he kicks and Hastings getting caught in possession. We looked a bit on Saturday like we’ve just decided to run it on the last now and just turn over the ball close to the opposition line.

Its like we gone from aimless kick to the corner tactic to the power play and hand it over close to their own line. I just don't understand why we don't try and make the opposition make a mistake.

It always seems to be the same 'ball handling backs who scoop up any last plays. Instead aim a grubber now and again away from these players instead to the biggest doziest forward on the field. Now and again you will get a repeat set.

You just need a player who can make that play ten seconds in advance. If it doesnt work then nothing lost. They come away from their own line as they would if you surrendered it.

We've done that for a while and TBH I have no issue with it.

If we don't score or get a penalty for them being offside, high tackle etc then we turn the ball over on tackle 1 95m from our line. A disciplined defensive set then puts us in good field position.

Forcing repeat sets and pressure would be my preference BUT if you get the kick wrong then you turn the ball over 80m away and give them an extra tackle. All of a sudden they are probbaly putting in an attacking kick on the last as opposed to a defensive one.

Also under the new 6 again rule we can give a 6 again 1st tackle meaning they have 7 tackles but are still 90m from our line.

It's not "entertaining" edge of your seat stuff but the game just isn't that anymore anyway. Play the percentages and play them well and you win the game. We didn't do that against Hull and lost. They didn't put in the performance of the season as some are saying. They were equally as crap as us but kicked 3 penalties when we gave them easy chances which was the difference because they didn't give them away and when they did we missed the kick anyway.

When Smith came in to the team he has chanced his arm and tried to force repeat sets or set up try’s with attacking kicks on the last but it’s been a mixed bag and that’s being kind. On Saturday we seemed to just can it and decide to run it each time. I get what they’re trying to do but it’s another attacking option that’s been shelved. Lam wants to be an attacking team and claims he’s an attacking coach but we take conservative options at every turn, so his claims make no sense. We don’t look like we’re allowed to offload as a team, we rarely try and move the ball from deep now, instead driving it one up through the middle via the backs and now and again the forwards and we’ve shelved those attacking kick options.

We’re an attacking team that takes the defensive option at each turn pretty much. It’s where Lammy does himself no favours. Stop talking about attacking rugby and just go down the Wane route of talking about ‘detail’ and competing for every inch.

I don't think it's "completionist", it's just shows a severe lack of skill and ambition IMO.

If that's how you want to play rugby league then you will lose a lot of fans quickly.

You’d stand a chance of fans accepting it if you were at least honest about it and stopped talking like we should expect the Harlem Globetrotters any week now.

We’ve been waiting two and a half years and it looks further away than ever.

I agree on Lam's attacking team claims but even if we were the Harlem Globetrotters I would take turning it over <5m from the line above a 7 tackle set on the 20.

I agree, I’d probably go that way as well, especially when doing anything else has seemed a real struggle for Smith and Hastings but I wouldn’t claim I’m ultra attacking and have a desire to entertain. It’s that which is hurting Lam more than anything for me.

Should Williams come back I’d change my mind by the way. He would have free reign to take the attacking option close to the opposition line whenever he saw fit. There aren’t many better around the world than Williams at dabbing those kicks in to the in goal.

Before the weekend according to ,my source

I do want Lam out after this year but I can understand why we are playing pretty boring rugby at the start of the year with an injury crisis in the backs. We played some alright stuff at the back end of last year when we had backs available.

I think even with a trophy this year Lam's had his chance and needs to go