Your right Saints didn't get a penny in transfer fees. What they did get is those players available for them for the full duration of their contracts.



Graham was very professional about it and gave his all for the cause right to the end.



We have had players do this also. Like Tommy and Pat is also doing so.



I'd far rather see players see out their deals and move on than be sold for a quick buck. What good is the money? The idea it will be used to train the next Sam T is a bit of a joke because if we unearth another player like that we will sell him as well!



As NickyKiss said the issue is the way it's going the losses aren't sustainable. Players lost early are Joel T, Hock, Mossop and likely to be Sam T. All could be playing for us in 2014 had they not been sold and we'd be a better team for it whereas instead we are vulnerable to the experienced players we have left being injured. Look at the Widnes game and expect more like that if the player drain continues.

lol



It's only natural though for people who have seen a player, to pass on their opinion.



More often than not the "public" get it wrong.



e.g. I remember when Eamon O'Carroll and Paul Prescott were coming onto the scene.



O'Carroll was often favoured on here, but the coaches obviously knew otherwise. The rest is history.



We will always be at a disadvantage to the coaches in terms of viewing the player, understanding strengths and weaknesses and their ability to fit into the system.

To the supporter it's means nothing. To the Chairman it's money in his pocket.



But let's wait until the news is confirmed before we levy the accusation.

I don't want Wigan to be the richest club in SL, I want them to be the most successful

I know its pretty bad for you being Aucklands feeder team as of now, but atleast us at Leigh have shed our 'Wigan B Team' tag, we're now 'Auckland C team'.

10/10.....

Yeah, they were both crocks!

I agree, there is always the chance it really is just a rumour but a lot of people are going to look at bit stupid if Sam doesn't leave for NZW at the end of the season and I don't mean supporters. Journalists mostly! It's a done deal according to the NZ papers.

No I must apologise I want a full teams of locals. The point I was trying to make is there are players getting hyped for by former players, Phil Clarke with his nephew and Jason Robinson with his son etc, some are good but Wigan cannot lose objectivity in selecting players, lets have a fair system and not have ex players fasttracking relatives to nice contracts at the expense of real talent. We all know this world is full of country clubs who trade in favors

Hi Wigan Warriors I'm a supporter of the NZ Warriors and in the 1980's a Wigan fan up until the advent of my team in 1995.



The negative sentiments about being associated with my club I've read here Mirrors a lot of the NZW fans experiences of our clubs dealings with Wigan in the past.



Let me say from the outset that this venture / proposed merging of clubs is an Idea I support 110 %



I'm more interested in the big picture and how far this idea could go for the betterment of both clubs than quibbling about who gets the short end of the stick when discussing individual players.



Sam Tomkins for example , while i understand the angst , guess what ? in our ignorance most NZW fans hadn't heard of him or at best know very little of the guy.



The moaning about signing an unproven ESL player for the money that's being bandied about on our forum just underscores the degree of ignorance.



Remember Henry Paul ? we swapped him for losing coach John Money , and well past it Forwards Dennis Betts and Andy Platt.



Both those lads struggled and between them they chewed up the larger part of our Salary Cap.



I digress I came here to make friends not troll .....but it pays to remember NZ has supplied Wigan with some pretty good players Versus what came here , I would say the Balance sheet is well and truly in your favor.



The NZW Jnrs system is the best in the NRL , if you don't see value in having some of the two time premiership winning NZW Jnrs in your system then you'll miss out on something special.



NRL scouts are represented by every club in NZ , that's right...these Juniors some here are underrating have full time salary Talent scouts from 15 Australian clubs attending all of the NZ Schools comps.



NZW is a one country club , as such the jnrs depth rivals anywhere in the world.



The Warriors were Grand finalist 2011



2012 ESL coach Brian Mclennan takes over and we've been struggling to undo the mess he left the club in since.



Owen Glen Billionaire Philanthropist bought the Warriors and has the resources to rape and pillage your club without so much as a sister club offer on the table.



It turns out Owen Glen is more interested in entering into a deal which will potentially put both Warriors Clubs at a distinct advantage to their opposition.



For starters we are not in competition with one another.



Secound of all the NZW after a clean out and investment in the very jnrs we're talking about have turned the most inexperienced NRL team to a four in a row winning streak over the best teams in this comp.....aside from a nightmare anomally versus Penrith the NZW have been within four points of beating the top sides of the NRL the entire season.



Watch this space......the Warriors have gone from $250 / 1 outsiders to $30/1 inside of a month and dished out the biggest hiding the Brisbane Broncos have suffered on their home ground in the history of that club.



The NZW are known as the sleeping giant of the NRL , we need your help / expertise to realise that potential.



Equally there is an insane amount of talent coming through , some of which will be available for the Wigan Warriors to use moving forward.



It might actually be a good thing for your club to gain several hundred thousand more fans and four million new followers from another part of the world

If we do end up seeing some premiership-winning NZW juniors in our playing system, I guess we'll be impressed, but forgive us for being skeptical if at present we don't see much sign of this.



Maybe it'll happen, maybe it won't.



You've never heard of Sam Tomkins before?



If you'd any idea how often that kind of sentiment has been expressed about our best players by pompous oafs involved with the NRL. I'm not saying you're a pompous oaf, but we've heard it time and again from people like Phil Gould, who use it purely as a means to mock the English game. It doesn't exactly win friendships (especially when there's a veiled threat that we'll be raped and pillaged if we don't fall into line - ooh, how scary).



And I don't think harping on about 'poor signings' in the distant past, as if we somehow owe you, will win you much sympathy either. Trust me, we'd much rather Denis Betts and Andy Platt had stayed here.



I'm actually ambivalent about this hook-up, not because I doubt what you say about NZW about to explode as a mega-force in the game, but because the tide of opinion is currently that Britain's best players must go to the NRL. We're all finding it a bit difficult to envisage any of your better juniors wanting, or even being allowed, to come here, even though we'd love it to happen.

I was just stirring the Pot,. thanks for the reply.....I absolutely agree that the NRL is full of Pompous Oafs and 'Gus' is one of the worst.



I didn't mean to give the impression that I hadn't heard of Sam....plenty of Kiwis haven't until these rumours started.



Ok so it wasn't till 2010 when I was was watching England V NZ Maori at Mt smart stadium that I saw one of the most talented footballers I've ever seen play live Rugby.



I've got that limitless video on my desk top and the guy is an absolute Freak.



I don't believe for a secound that he will have to adjust to the NRL , I think the NRL will have to adjust to Tomkins.



I was an Andy Platt / Betts fan before they came here and had an unfortunate run in a poorly run club with no history.



The rape and Pillage comment wasn't a intended as a threat....after reading the comments about the NZW suspicious intentions I thought that would give folk some perspective.



Here's some examples of where this Juniors program could work out.



Keven Locke and Glen Fisiahi are two very good Fullbacks from our Juniors programe , if Sam Tomkins comes here both players would walk into another NRL club tomorrow



Peta Hiku is last years Jnr Fullback....we obviously can't keep them all so Hiku is now Manly's starting Fullback and he's going well over there.



That's just one position from our program. Once they go to a competitor they are lost , that's why we want to link up with Wigan



Some of our Jnr's are absolute monsters.....Big boned Polynesian Lads who are running all over the top of their opposites......the production line is so long that many miss out on making the NRL side by the narrowest of margins to their team mates who do go on and get promoted.



What they lack is a exposure to a club culture like Wigans and exposure to a style of rugby that doesn't let them rely entirely on their Physical presence.