Lee Smith likely to head to union after his contract finishes at the end of the year.... news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 108796.stm There goes another one!

Lee Smith likely to head to union after his contract finishes at the end of the year.... news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 108796.stm There goes another one!

It's hard to judge what sort of loss Smith is to the game tbh. He is a decent player but you do get the feeling the majority of his standing in the game is built on one great preformence in a grand final covering at fullback and outside of that one game theres been little else.

He's a loss i suppose but more in the bracket of a Ashton or K Pryce then that of a Jason Robinson. I'm sure the game can cover the loss of players like Lee Smith.

Like a lot of players Smith has suffered from being made to play in any number of positions. First time I saw him was at the JJB and he was FB, next time winger and this season he's got the 3 shirt.
Smith is a good player and I'd have preferred him to stay in RL than go to Union!

It's just a shame that we have to.

But I'm past caring. If no-one else in RL gives a toss, why should we?

Knew about this months ago i even pm'd john about it and i know what club he's signed for

Theres no safeguard to keep them is there which is embarrasing but as of yet we've not been hit too hard.

Down the track somewhere we'll lose a superstar or 2 and maybe then the RFL will act....................thats if the lesser lights of superleague don't mind!

anyone else think this why he wasn't in the england squad as well? Because he ain't going to be around for long...

Although not to do with Lee Smith, I can see the way this thread is going and I'm sure most people have seen the story of a number of leading F1 teams wanting to form there own rival organization, after not agreeing to what is effectively a salary cap. [urlhttp://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/motorsport/2489978/Formula-1-on-brink-of-collapse.html[/url

Think quite a few did mate.

Yeah not doubt but i got it from the horses mouth

Lee or Shaun?

I don't think there's any danger of a break-away in Rugby League, with a bunch of top clubs agreeing to some kind of 'no salary cap' situation. Too many of our clubs, including several of our top clubs, benefit from the salary cap because they haven't got any cash. Wigan themselves, though well financed, now take a more pragmatic view to the salary cap.

However, a break-away in Union, to match the spending of the French clubs, might conceivably happen - though I don't know enough about Union to comment with authority on this.

Congratulations.

Thanks and why your at it can you get me a gold star off one of your window licking friends please?

It will be the first of many departures to come I think. Especially if they keep freezing the salary cap.

has the bit about players wages only counting for half after they've been with the club for 10 years always been in there?

If so how far off are any of our players? I know not many are that old, but when do they count people like lockers being at the club from?

The clubs voted to freeze it.

Were Wigan one of those that voted for the freeze, or were they looking for an increase?

No idea, but the official line coming out of the RFL is...

[iClubs decided against a rise in the salary cap for the 2010 season due to the current economic climate and the fact that last June they agreed to a £50,000 rise for this season. As always clubs will have the opportunity to review the salary cap limit again this time next year.[/i

42 trys in 88 games in different positions, Harry Sunderland award, International honours, 2 x GF winner.

Karl Pryce my a**e, another blinkered Wigan fan.

Karl Pryce

Bradford Bulls 47 Games 33 Tries

Another leeds ar$e.

So you trying to say he should be listed in the same category of players such as Robinson and Farrell then?

He falls right into the category the op suggested -Good young player with a good future in front of him but hardly the finished article or a superstar.

Ands it’s us that are biased

He's played about 50 games in 6 1/2 years as a pro, go Karl.

If you can call me an can I call you a pr1ck?

i'm not comparing him to karl pryce now, i'm comparing him to karl pryce before he went to union. Imo Pryce had the bigger potential out of the two, he hasn't fulfilled it one bit but he had it.

Pryce is pants now, never disputing that.

Smith is a good player, but he's nothing extraordinary, certainly not even comparable to the likes or Robinson and Farrell, nor will he ever be.