It's a big shame to see him go. It's also a reflection of the low skill levels in areas of the dark side's game, i.e. defence. You have to accpet that Joel Tompkins has simply taken a better job offer. If you were in your 20's and were offered double the money for doing the same job, what would you do? Loyalty dissapeared a long time ago. We raided the Union ranks heavily in the past and can have no gripe of them doing the same to us. The answer has always been the same, support the amateur game and develop our own junior talent through the academy system.

For all those Whinos who started the booing of Sam Tompkins after the Maguire incident, if/ when he goes, you and other booers are quite simply "MORONS".

I could live with only 50% of the club trained players salaries counting towards the cap, but if the figures being bandied around are any where near correct I don't think this would prevent players from switching codes.

The levels that RU clubs are able to pay would mean that RL would effectively have to scrap the salary cap.

That shouldn't happen, so unfortunately Wigan will have to work round it as best they can.

RL becoming a feeder code to RU is IMO scare tactics by wigan/wigan fans who wish for there club to be treat differently, or for them to manouver (at least) the salary cap higher, this would turn other clubs into feeder clubs for the larger clubs (such as wigan), even more so than now, and that is why it shouldn't be allowed as it isn't in the best interest of SL or RL in general.

Unfortunately when you have two strains of a similar game, the highest paid will attract the better or greedier players, wether that ultimately does that game any long term good is open to debate.

Being a fan of a smaller club unable to keep its best players, and i'm sure other clubs are in a similar and worse situation, i have little sympathy for wigan.

Its market forces and the real world, unfortunately it will lessen our chances of national team strength, but that nothing in comparison to the damage the rfl have done at that level, so they ought not to cry wolf either.

Hardly a tragedy - there are other bright young things already emerging to fill the boots of those players switching codes and there always will be; this is only a tragedy in Wigan and if the Wigan club felt the same way, they'd pay Tomkins more than their Union counterparts were offering and that would solve the problem.



In reality, very few RL players are lost to Union - certainly fewer than were lost from Union to League when the boot was on the other foot.

Don't blame him, i'd do the same

Hardly think Joel is the loss of the century, at second row we have others of a similar or better standard and the fact he plays at centre says more about RL in this country than about how good he is. Sam is a different matter i'll grant you that but if he's so great pay him more and others less. Market forces as others have said.

Eastmond had one good season and didn't kick on this year so as it stands we'll never know how good he could of been unlike Sam

Fact is, Joel Tomkins is not worth 400k. The salary cap in the Aviva Premiership is so much higher they can afford to spend so much. That does not mean we should raise our cap.

If he's getting that i'll eat my own cock

fruity!!!

Show off!!

Announcing Shaun Wane as head coach, wigan said Joel and sam are happy at Wigan..

Can I just clarify - is that whilst it's still connected, or are you removing it first?