Farrell leaving good for both him and Wigan

[kt4ever_1]

Dave O iam going to have to say i disagree with you and see more of dai's point! I think it is wrong to turn your back on him just for trying something new. I know alot of you will feel he is turning his back on wigan and Rl the sport that gave him everything. It gave him MOS, Golden boot and an OBE but as Dai says it has not given him recognition worldwide . Thats what this amazing man deserves and if thats what he wants i for one will be supporting him every step of the way. Rather brushing him aside and being disgusted in him lets admire him for taking a new challange.

[mrs_carney]

Well said. We cant just abandon him because he's decided or is deciding on whether to take up a new challenge. Jason Robinson has done very well for himself and i doubt many people have forgot where he came from, if Faz does go i hope he does very well and gets loads of success.

[Fraggle]

mrs_carney posted:
i doubt many people have forgot where he came from,

We as Wigan fans haven't forgotten, but if you read any media articles about rugby union they barely even mention that he used to play rugby league. They certainly don't give Wigan or anyone else in league (didn't he come from Hunslet before us?) any credit for helping him become the successful player he is. Once you've left league, the union press doesn't care about the past and like-it-or-not, there's far more media attention given to union than to league.

[DaveO]

kt4ever_1 posted:
Dave O iam going to have to say i disagree with you and see more of dai's point! I think it is wrong to turn your back on him just for trying something new. I know alot of you will feel he is turning his back on wigan and Rl the sport that gave him everything.

The reason we feel like that is because he is doing just that. In a way it is quite a selfish attitude. Take all the sport has to offer and walk away and if the sport suffers as a result, so what?

I maintain he has an ongoing responsibilty to the game that has given him all he has. It is mot a matter of he has done a lot for Wigan so we should wish him well. His leaving is IMO detrimental to the game in a big way and what he has done before won't change that.

e him MOS, Golden boot and an OBE but as Dai says it has not given him recognition worldwide . Thats what this amazing man deserves and if thats what he wants i for one will be supporting him every step of the way. Rather brushing him aside and being disgusted in him lets admire him for taking a new challange.

I have no interest in Jason Robinsons carrer as an RU player. I have not got a clue if he has won anything with Sale. I just don't follow the game so why would I watch support Farrell every step of the way? It is down to a total lack of interest not some personal vendetta.

I think you need to see the wider picture.

The story already overshadowed the start of SL X. Instead of writing about 13,000 + crowds at games like Wigan v Salford the press was talking about Farrell going to RU.

If you take the plaudits and awards and a very good living form the game it is not unreasonable to be expected to show some loyalty to it IMO when you are such a key figure as Farrell.

Dave

[kt4ever_1]

I think you are being a bit more selfish than farrell here. I know if i was in his postion i would go ! As the ledgend Phil Clarke said last night many other people have done it e.g Micheal Jordan in america and then you have people like henry Paul and Jason Robison both league player turning over to union. Both of whom did less years service than farrell. IMO we should appreciate what he has done and thank him and wish him well on his way rather than putting the man down. i feel that in this situation the phrase "Better than to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all." sums it up well. Isnt it better that we had farrell for 14 years rather than him taking this at 7 years into his carrer and wigan never sseeing his peak. Yes i also feel he had a responsibilty but i think he has full filled that tremendously. As for you having no interest in Jason Robinsons carrer is your own opion but i know i have started followin Sale a bit more and wishing them all the best so i will with farrell too but i never said you had to. Also i think i have seen the wider picture then put myslef into farrells shoes. Maybe you should try that. As for the press England has always been more pro union than league. Even if we did get 13,000+ at salfor it wouldnt of made it into the papers farrell or no farrell. and as for loyaltiy that is the last thing i would question about his carrer.

[DaveO]

kt4ever_1 posted:
I think you are being a bit more selfish than farrell here. I know if i was in his postion i would go ! As the ledgend Phil Clarke said last night many other people have done it e.g Micheal Jordan in america and then you have people like henry Paul and Jason Robison both league player turning over to union. Both of whom did less years service than farrell.

I think you will find that both JR and HP left when their contracts were up, not with two years of them to run. That is a big difference. Farrell has played for Wigan for a long time because he was brought in as a youngster and given the chance. The fact he has had a long career compared to those two does't alter any of the negatives of him going.

IMO we should appreciate what he has done and thank him and wish him well on his way rather than putting the man down. i feel that in this situation the phrase "Better than to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all." sums it up well. Isnt it better that we had farrell for 14 years rather than him taking this at 7 years into his carrer and wigan never sseeing his peak.

I am not quite sure what the relevance of any of that is. He [didn't leave after 7 years or whatever and what I see as paramount is the best interests of the club at this time.

At this point in time there is no way the club would be better off without him. None at all. As he is contracted to it for two more years and it is better he stays than goes, he should be made to see out this contract. He was happy to sign it so should honour it. He is not going ot be badly off and won't earn much more in RU.

He can only be going for one reason and that is the new challenge such that it is. If he had done as HP and JR did and went at the end of his contract i would not have a problem. Don't forget this has come out of the blue and very soon after he picked up every gong going.

Yes i also feel he had a responsibilty but i think he has full filled that tremendously.

just because someone has given a lot to the game and club in the past is no reason to ignore them leaving us in the lurch and damaging the game now.

As for you having no interest in Jason Robinsons carrer is your own opion but i know i have started followin Sale a bit more and wishing them all the best so i will with farrell too but i never said you had to. Also i think i have seen the wider picture then put myslef into farrells shoes. Maybe you should try that. As for the press England has always been more pro union than league. Even if we did get 13,000+ at salfor it wouldnt of made it into the papers farrell or no farrell. and as for loyaltiy that is the last thing i would question about his carrer.

You did say it was wrong to turn his back on him and I merely pointed out I will have no interest in Farrell the RU player.

The idea that RL wouldn't have had good press on the launch of SL X is something we will never know is it? It was overshadowed by talk of Farrell switching codes.

I know the press has always been more pro union but that is no reason to let Farrell off the hook for feeding them a huge scoup. If he goes go it will get several minutes coverage on prime time news on BBC 1 sport. If he stays I doubt it will get 20 seconds.

Dave

[kt4ever_1]

Man you scare me !! I think we are going to have to agree to dis-agree beacuse iam not goint to cange MO and doesnt look like your gonna change yours lol !

[thegimble]

[

[/quote]

The analogy of League taking Welsh players doesn't hold water. They were amateurs and simply could not earn a living as a professional sportsman in RU despite the odd brown paper bag and cushy job.

The top Welsh players from the 70's onwards were tachnical proffesionals. During the 70's all bar one (I believe JPR) wore adidas boots conicidence i feel not as we know now they were been illegally paid. There cushy jobs were as PA or Public Relations work for a couple of hours a week and were paid well and then off training for the rest.

We can not go and call Faz a Judas when lets be honest we all supported Offiah, Tuigamala and Quinell when they came. I bet supports of them in Union called them Judas when they moved.

League players yes were paid better than Union in them days so are we not been hypocritical to say that Faz is a Judas for doing the same. We gave the above mentioned supporrt but some turn on him.

The only problem i can see is that he will not come back and coach the side this is more worrying in the long run.

One thing we are guranteed they will bring in a World Class player to replace him whether it is Williams, Sculthorpe or Morley.

For the club we need a True World Class second row id have Morley as we are lacking a World Class second row since Betts retired. Do not get me wrong i think Tickle and Hock just needs a bit more time to develop.

We have a young side it is not the end if Farrell goes ask a Rhinos fan how they felt when Harris went and look at them now. He was there corner stone when he switched. Bet You they would not have him back now.[/quote]

[DaiJones]

Steve Diamond, the coach of Saracens has said he would love to buy Faz (sorry Dave O, I realise that after the word Saracens the rest of this post has just become white noise). This would not necessarily be a good move for our skipper because they have a reputation of having money to burn but not spending it wisely and despite frequently fielding XVs that read like an International Rugby Who's Who, continue to massively underachieve. It would not be a great place for him to learn the game.Maybe Wasps for a nice personality clash with Shaun Edwards.

Most incredibly of all however, Diamond says he would play the Faz at fly half or inside centre. Now this is a real indictment of Unions's inferiority, Dave O, Ian, etc. if a 6ft 4, 17st plus prop forward (for that he was for much of 2004) can be considered to have the skills, pace, imagination and kicking game to boss a game in the pivotal positions in a Union back line then the thirteen a side game really is light years ahead.

If he does go to Sarries, I might have to institute a Greenhalghs Pies Club here in West London with myself, the great man and my neighbours Mr Shaun Edwards and Martin Offiah

[Welski]

DaveO posted:
Dai,


The analogy of League taking Welsh players doesn't hold water. They were amateurs and simply could not earn a living as a professional sportsman in RU despite the odd brown paper bag and cushy job.

They were not contracted to anyone.

I've heard others say this analogy isnt relevant but I think its at the heart of this debate. I don't really think the fans really care too much whether a player is contracted or not or what the relative pay scales are. I think the most important thing for supporters of the 'rival' codes is that they want to see those they consider the best players playing in their code/team. They see it as an affront that the 'enemy' has pinched one of theirs.

As you point out they couldn't earn a living in RU (although you ask any All Black from those days) and this was the motivating factor in switching to RL. I think that's a less noble reason for switching than the reasons players give now. If we accept that someone like Faz isnt going to earn a whole lot more in swithcing then one would have to think the resons are as assumed (ASSUMING HE ACTUALLY GOES!). Namely that he relishes a new challenge and a new and arguably wider stage on which to display his skills.

When I was a kid growing up in darkest Essex and following and playing Union I was regularly gutted when players left to join League and it was even worse back then as they were of course unable to return. What this defection did do though was to raise the profile of RL for me. The fact that many of my heroes had crossed the divide made me take more of an interest in this peculiar northern sport!In fact it was the likes of Tuigamala that rekindled my interest in watching Wigan on a regular basis.

As I posted somewhere else I think, my view is that all this publicity is good for the game in this instant I think RL comes out slightly better...the tone of the reports I've read paint Faz as some sort of super hero running forward who kicks goals for fun and is going to win England the WC in 2007. This at the time when England are World Champs It doesn't reflect well on their susequent development.

When all is said and done though it has produced a healthy debate and raised the profile of both codes. Which code has benefited most? As is evidenced by the endless postings on this subject it is open to debate!