Tomkins Leaving - Official

[DaveO]

Theres not a person on this board who woudnt take the opportunity to earn more money given the chance. Especially if your earning power stopped at say 35yrs old.
Good luck for the the future Sam and thanks for the memories.

1) I imagine many people on this board do things for which they could be paid or could be paid more, but choose not to because they value other things more highly. Here, we aren't talking about someone who is on the basic wage. He was paid a fortune by NZW and us for 4 years in which he did absolutely nothing of note. And now turns down a big money offer from us, simply for cash - he certainly won't ever win anything.

2) the memories are what he has been living off for pretty much a decade by the time he has finished counting his euros. The last time he was a great player was 2012. He will finish his contract in France in 2022 by my reckoning.

The club has done everything it could for him, with support, rehab, even last year giving him as long as it took for him to just right after his self inflicted injury pretty much wiped out the season. How the club can take the blame for his choice is quite beyond me. We offered him lots of money to continue to play for the club who had made him, with the prospect of winning trophies and he chose Super League's equivalent of the Warriors - life style and tons of cash without the hard work.

I think you'd be pretty pissed off if your employer had agreed to pay you a certain wage for next year when you signed the contract and then turned around and said, nah, we still want you but on less money. Doesn't matter a jot if that is still a substantial amount you'd be a tad miffed to say the least.

If they had simply said they are not taking up the option and he was a free agent then fair enough but they tried to pull a fast one and pay him less than they agreed. Should have paid him what was agreed for 2019 and offered him a deal for the three seasons after. If that still didn't tempt him then perhaps you could have a dig but given the club welched on its deal for 2019 it (and the fans) can't complain he's left.

[Exiled Wiganer]

http://www.wiganwarriors.com/news/2018- ... e-warriors

Just a mercenary IMO

Got too big for his boots, but he’s not as big as the Wigan Warriors!

After the club & the fans supported him for two years, the guy has no scruples!

I agree wholeheartedly Josie (I am now making sure I quote everything by the way )

[Exiled Wiganer]

1) I imagine many people on this board do things for which they could be paid or could be paid more, but choose not to because they value other things more highly. Here, we aren't talking about someone who is on the basic wage. He was paid a fortune by NZW and us for 4 years in which he did absolutely nothing of note. And now turns down a big money offer from us, simply for cash - he certainly won't ever win anything.

2) the memories are what he has been living off for pretty much a decade by the time he has finished counting his euros. The last time he was a great player was 2012. He will finish his contract in France in 2022 by my reckoning.

The club has done everything it could for him, with support, rehab, even last year giving him as long as it took for him to just right after his self inflicted injury pretty much wiped out the season. How the club can take the blame for his choice is quite beyond me. We offered him lots of money to continue to play for the club who had made him, with the prospect of winning trophies and he chose Super League's equivalent of the Warriors - life style and tons of cash without the hard work.

I think you'd be pretty pissed off if your employer had agreed to pay you a certain wage for next year when you signed the contract and then turned around and said, nah, we still want you but on less money. Doesn't matter a jot if that is still a substantial amount you'd be a tad miffed to say the least.

If they had simply said they are not taking up the option and he was a free agent then fair enough but they tried to pull a fast one and pay him less than they agreed. Should have paid him what was agreed for 2019 and offered him a deal for the three seasons after. If that still didn't tempt him then perhaps you could have a dig but given the club welched on its deal for 2019 it (and the fans) can't complain he's left.

They hadn't agreed to pay anything, they had an option. If I had wanted to make sure I was paid something I would put it into a contract.
Here, the club can point to what 2 good games in 2 and a bit years, plus a fortune spent on his rehab, including for a self inflicted injury.

[DaveO]

I think you'd be pretty pissed off if your employer had agreed to pay you a certain wage for next year when you signed the contract and then turned around and said, nah, we still want you but on less money. Doesn't matter a jot if that is still a substantial amount you'd be a tad miffed to say the least.

If they had simply said they are not taking up the option and he was a free agent then fair enough but they tried to pull a fast one and pay him less than they agreed. Should have paid him what was agreed for 2019 and offered him a deal for the three seasons after. If that still didn't tempt him then perhaps you could have a dig but given the club welched on its deal for 2019 it (and the fans) can't complain he's left.

They hadn't agreed to pay anything, they had an option. If I had wanted to make sure I was paid something I would put it into a contract.

It was in a contract. If they took the option up the wage went with it. Read Radlinki's statement for confirmation.

What they did is blindingly obvious. They chose not to take that option up but instead offered him a deal that meant less money for 2019. If they wanted him for four years then they should have taken the option up, paid what was agreed for 2019 and then negotiated a deal for the other three years.

What they did instead was choose to act in bad faith and try and weedle out of paying him what was due to him in 2019 were he to be a Wigan player. By trying it on like this the club just made contract options offered by the club totally meaningless bits of scrap paper.

We moan when players renege on contracts but now the club behaves in this underhand way and you are all for it.

[Exiled Wiganer]

They hadn't agreed to pay anything, they had an option. If I had wanted to make sure I was paid something I would put it into a contract.

It was in a contract. If they took the option up the wage went with it. Read Radlinki's statement for confirmation.

What they did is blindingly obvious. They chose not to take that option up but instead offered him a deal that meant less money for 2019. If they wanted him for four years then they should have taken the option up, paid what was agreed for 2019 and then negotiated a deal for the other three years.

What they did instead was choose to act in bad faith and try and weedle out of paying him what was due to him in 2019 were he to be a Wigan player. By trying it on like this the club just made contract options offered by the club totally meaningless bits of scrap paper.

We moan when players renege on contracts but now the club behaves in this underhand way and you are all for it.

That is complete nonsense.
It was an option, which worked like this:

- at some point we will decide about 2019. If we want to keep you for 2019 we will pay you X; and

- we did not exercise that option, so he could sign for someone else as he did.

Instead of exercising the option, we offered him terms for 2019 and 3 additional years, on a very good wage.

This is not bad faith, it is doing exactly what the contract envisaged. It simply can't be that difficult to get your head around.

Now, there is an argument that we should have taken up the option because he was worth it. I don't agree and think that all the evidence of the last 4 years suggest that was not the route to follow. But that is a matter of opinion, and views can differ on it.

[thegimble]

They hadn't agreed to pay anything, they had an option. If I had wanted to make sure I was paid something I would put it into a contract.
Here, the club can point to what 2 good games in 2 and a bit years, plus a fortune spent on his rehab, including for a self inflicted injury.

I agree. He should have had a 3 year deal signed without an option if he wanted guranteed money. 2 previous seasons he has been absent more than he has been on the field.

The club has done the right thing for me. Got a replacement ready and announced it early.

Or can we put it this way we have let him go before he did what he did last time and jumped. He will not do 4 in France either he will up sticks inside 2 years.

[jao711]

Everyone assumed that Catalans were offering a Marquee deal and Wigan weren't. It was also mentioned Catalans offered a 4 year deal and Wigan less.

Now it turn out Wigan have offered a 4 year Marquee deal, for more money than Sam was expecting, but still he choses Catalans because he wants to experience the culture.

So he turns his back on Wigan and any real chance of success in the future, just so his kids can learn a new language. He could have got that at Wigan Tech.

He really will be Rat Boy if his team are not winning every week and decisions going against them, but oh well at least he'll be able to go back to his chateau and a glass of wine after the game.

And not forgetting going out on the town and hurting himself.
Very disappointed with his attitude given the last couple of seasons and rumoured circumstances. However we move on and the need for a couple of on field generals becomes a necessity.

He wasn't out on the town.

. Correct!

[Wandering Warrior]

1) I imagine many people on this board do things for which they could be paid or could be paid more, but choose not to because they value other things more highly. Here, we aren't talking about someone who is on the basic wage. He was paid a fortune by NZW and us for 4 years in which he did absolutely nothing of note. And now turns down a big money offer from us, simply for cash - he certainly won't ever win anything.

2) the memories are what he has been living off for pretty much a decade by the time he has finished counting his euros. The last time he was a great player was 2012. He will finish his contract in France in 2022 by my reckoning.

The club has done everything it could for him, with support, rehab, even last year giving him as long as it took for him to just right after his self inflicted injury pretty much wiped out the season. How the club can take the blame for his choice is quite beyond me. We offered him lots of money to continue to play for the club who had made him, with the prospect of winning trophies and he chose Super League's equivalent of the Warriors - life style and tons of cash without the hard work.

I think you'd be pretty pissed off if your employer had agreed to pay you a certain wage for next year when you signed the contract and then turned around and said, nah, we still want you but on less money. Doesn't matter a jot if that is still a substantial amount you'd be a tad miffed to say the least.

If they had simply said they are not taking up the option and he was a free agent then fair enough but they tried to pull a fast one and pay him less than they agreed. Should have paid him what was agreed for 2019 and offered him a deal for the three seasons after. If that still didn't tempt him then perhaps you could have a dig but given the club welched on its deal for 2019 it (and the fans) can't complain he's left.

I didn't write any of the above but I'll throw a grenade in! Not counting this season he's more than likely played a third to half of the games. He's been sat on his backside for whatever reason injured, perhaps the Club has decided enough is enough?
Can't say I'm overly happy about the situation but we move on!!
I will say however that if Cats get relegated I will be rather amused!

[Wandering Warrior]

They hadn't agreed to pay anything, they had an option. If I had wanted to make sure I was paid something I would put it into a contract.

It was in a contract. If they took the option up the wage went with it. Read Radlinki's statement for confirmation.

What they did is blindingly obvious. They chose not to take that option up but instead offered him a deal that meant less money for 2019. If they wanted him for four years then they should have taken the option up, paid what was agreed for 2019 and then negotiated a deal for the other three years.

What they did instead was choose to act in bad faith and try and weedle out of paying him what was due to him in 2019 were he to be a Wigan player. By trying it on like this the club just made contract options offered by the club totally meaningless bits of scrap paper.

We moan when players renege on contracts but now the club behaves in this underhand way and you are all for it.

But he would have had security for another four years!
Let's hope he doesn't go to Cats injured?!

[oldhooker]

I still stand by what I said Dave, it’s my opinion. I’m very disappointed with him & the club.

Of course Josie, you would not think of your family you would only want to please the club and fans .