I think the state of origin games help with the national sides cohesion, Lockyer and Thurston have been halves in both origin and national teams for so many years they know each others games inside out and sowill Billy Slater.

X2

Lazy journalism by a lazy journalist for a lazy paper. Does Barker get paid for this - rings a mate up who is probably sitting in the tap room of the Rose and Crown - "Kevin / Alex / Martin what do you think about this". Utter crap.

For some reason Barker seems to have an agenda against Wigan though I believe he is a Wiganer.
Two classic comments I remember form him:
Wigan will never again be able to play at the JJB if Latics reach the Premier league.
Forget the South of France, the RL should be promoting the sport in Blackpool.
I kid you not!

Yep totally agree, I dont think Sinfield and Chase as a HB combination works at all. They dont get the plays moving where Sam can wrap around the back and join the line late. Sinfield is too slow as a 6, hes a class act and a very clever but definitely not an international 6, especially at this stage of his career. Chase is a bit too "off the cuff" to be disciplined enough to get the moves going. Watching the friendly last week I was quite happy we didnt sign him because I dont think he would suite our style of play at all.

With Sinfield and Chase as the HB partnership we are wasting our best player.

And neglecting one of the most consistent halfbacks in the NRL - Gareth Widdop!

Hope he stays with you, if not I hope he's hanging on for the NRL TV deal to go through and goes to Oz.

Personally I'd sooner Sam go to the NRL than Union, if that's the choice presented.
Somewhere in this there is a 'nod' to League over Union, we are clearly developing better players in our code if Union feel the need to lure them over with big bucks.

By the next RUWC we could potentially be looking at:

15 S Tomkins
14 C Ashton
13 J Tomkins
12 Probably targeted another League bod by then
11 K Eastmond

Well done Union, you clearly are developing your own talent with such success.

In relation to George Ford who will probably play at 10 for England no doubt, there was this little snippet the other day:



Full of **** comes to mind, union is dead on it's knees in terms of producing it's own quality backs at any level.

I'd much rather see Sam play in the NRL it's a great league to watch and would full realise his ability. It's vey disappointing as a Wigan fan being resigned to losing him though.

Crazy isn't it?

Starting 6 all season for the team which finished top in the NRL under probably the second best coach in the world.

Kevin Sinfield --->

<--- Steve McNamara

Surely Rangi Chase might be a shout and even perhaps Tommy Leuluai and George Carmont?

The best Kiwis in England usually get picked up, Henry Paul, Vainikolo and Hape.

Add Riki Flutey and Dylan Hartley to that list, the RFU is more of a UN based rugby team.

Normally once they get a bad injury going off that list!

and louis Anderson could be added to the list if his reported future french plans are to be believed.

They don't need to, why bother when you can pick up superbly fit and well drilled youngsters from RL for tuppence ha'penny?

They will use RL as a production line and their grip on the media will turn this into a positive for them through the usual pro-RU propaganda.

Dont get me wrong I am a huge fan of Sam. He is a wonderful running talent and a top bloke to boot. However to be a top class RU full back or half back you need to be able to kick from hand. With respect Sams kicking game is not the best.

neither was Jason Robinsons but he didnt do to bad......

He hardly ever played at full back in union and cant even remember one occasion in league. You can get away with it on the wing which is where his best position was in both union and league. Numbers 10 and 15 get you around the park.

Sam will eventually go to union but I dont think hes ideally suited for it. Wingers or Centres are the only players that hardly have to change their game to switch successfully

All you need to do is boot it out on the full from F/B in yawnion, I'm sure he'd manage.

Neither do I.

However, Sam firing at 60% is a much more potent attacking force than most in the England RU setup. He will go, and we shouldn't blame him for doing so.

Jason Robinson hardly ever played full back and you can't remember one occasion in league.



RU

[urlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/7051314.stm[/url

[urlhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/3016580/Daring-Robinson-carries-the-attack-to-his-critics.html[/url

[urlhttp://www.thesharks.co.uk/about/player-profiles?id=14[/url

RL

[urlhttp://wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/index.php?page_id=148[/url

and I'm surprised Saints fans haven't been on this thread already to remind us of the 2000 GF, where the great man played at FB.

Sam's kicking game may not be world class, but he still has a very good kicking game. Its more to do with him being that good as a natural runner that his good kicking goes unnoticed, much like his defence (which is another myth about it being poor)

It's worse when it is English players though. They produce players of that standard all the time down under. Marshall and SKD are probably better players than Paul and Hape. Australia lost players like Hunt and Folau, but YowYeh has come through and they already had world class talent like Hayne and Inglis anyway. We can't produce players over and over again of that standard.

If Sam were to leave, how long would it be before we see another player of that talent come through so young? Look at the time difference between Edwards and Tomkins....

Yes I would like to see Hunt, Folau and SBW still in rugby league... but at the end of the day, they have produced players of this quality over and over. We don't seem to be able to do the same in England.

Press conference soon. Announcement of Joel leaving and a major player signing a new and mega improved offer. Watch this space.