joe burgess

[menpond]

It sure is a chronic issue ,from now on. In the main young players tend to be underpaid compared to old players. Its up to Radders and Wane to try and manage the budget. May I suggest no more O/SEAS players over the age of 29?The hard bit comes in the ,SEASONED PLAYERS> category. there is a tendency in all clubs to value loyalty,think Leeds last 2 years.If Burgess is expected to be the best back 5 player in 13 months time ,then he needs the best wage.?Wane has said we need more competition across the board this year,so maybe thats the new mindset? We can start in the WCC shortly to see who can match up.Last year we had the usual refrain,WE ARE NOT BIG ENOUGH. As ever it comes down to managing men ,and their egos,and clearing out players in early 20s who will never be good enough for us.Radders wane OL Deacon seem a terrific group.Whats not to like?

[BriH]

As long as RL has a low salary cap relative to our competitors, we are always at a disadvantage.

[Owd Codger]

Who cares what the "norm" (whatever that is) is? It is about the actual amount of cash on the table.

Are you seriously suggesting if Wigan offered an exceptionally talented young player a contract of £100K (which is what Edwards signing on fee was worth roughly back in 1983 for comparison) an NRL side would offer £400K?

That is $AUD 768K which is more than Sam Tomkins, the 5th highest paid player in the NRL.

A salary of £100K is $AUD $192K. So to beat that this would put them into the kind of wages seasoned pros or players at least 4 years older are on and would also make a bigger hole in their salary cap.

You are talking the kind of money Brisbane offered Mitch Garbutt to move from the Storm here, not the kind of money waved at junior players.

If you were IL how much would YOU have been prepared to pay to keep Burgess? And then how much do you think the agent of Hampshire, Williams, Gildart would have asked for those players to stay?

Why don't people get what I am talking about?

It is like trying to get blood from a stone on this one.

I will try again.

In the past if an exceptional talent turned up, Wigan bid for it.

I used the example of Edwards and the signing on fee Wigan used to lure him here.

What I would like to see happen now is if we have an exceptional young player on the books the club recognises it is going to have to pay him a contract higher than other players of his generation.

How much that is, I have no idea but what I do know is if it tries to pay them all the same because they are young players it will have no chance of keeping exceptional ones.

Some players are better than others and can command higher wages.

What I also do not believe is that NRL clubs are going to make our junior players some of their highest paid players.

So in my opinion it is not impossible to offer a contract that would put them off signing one of our young players whereas it was impossible to compete for Sam Tomkins (supposedly the 5th highest paid player in the NRL).

NRL clubs pay to their salary cap. The do not have infinite capacity to fling money at whoever they want and when you see what some established players earn in the NRL it shows you that Sam T salaries are the exception not the rule. They are not going to offer our junior players $350K a year.

However if we insist on a pay structure that said we start contract negotiations with a Hampshire level of player at £40K a year you are inviting him to look to the NRL were beating that would be no issue and once they start looking then the idea of leaving is sown and it will be even harder to dissuade them regardless of improved offers.


DaveO

With respect to you, I wish you you would find a better example than Edwards in your argument about contracts/Salaries of the time he sign for Wigan and what they today.
Edwards signed for Wigan at the time when our game attracted many star players from Union which is no longer the case and it is now more likely for star League players to go the opposite way. As I have said before, I am in no doubt that if Union had been fully professional at the time Edwards was seventeen, he like many others at the time would have defected to Union without any feelings about loyalty to our game.

Having said the above, I do think the pay structure in our game does need to be improved and a start would be to keep our Salary Cap in line on a pro rata basis to that of Union and the NRL. The more it stays stagnant or falls behind, the more difficult it will get to retain our star players.

The codes of Rugby have now turned full circle and it is time some not only faced up to that fact, but also got on with enjoying what is still a great game and the best code in spite of the financial implications involved.

Keep the faith!

[medlocke]

knocking on bg style, is his head already in Sydney

[Wandering Warrior]

knocking on bg style, is his head already in Sydney

Certainly not on the job in hand tonight.

[Dobby]

I am not just basing this off last night but I do question the point of continuing to develop Burgess so he can excel at another club. Burgess is far from the finished article and is certainly not undroppable in my opinion. If Manfedi, or some other young winger, is going to take over from Burgess then I'd like to see them get opportunities and get developed now.

[DaveO]

I am not just basing this off last night but I do question the point of continuing to develop Burgess so he can excel at another club. Burgess is far from the finished article and is certainly not undroppable in my opinion. If Manfedi, or some other young winger, is going to take over from Burgess then I'd like to see them get opportunities and get developed now.

The development point is a fair one so he should only play if he is good enough for the spot.

However I think we have shot ourselves in the foot by alienating players who are leaving in the past and should always endeavour to play the best players regardless of if they are leaving at the end of the season.

The reaction to CPW's criticism of Wane after the first game of the season has been along the lines of "don't be stupid" for the most part and I think people saying Burgess "is on the plane already" because he had a poor game is very premature.

If people trot that line out each time he makes a mistake he will end up with that attitude.

[Owd Codger]

I am not just basing this off last night but I do question the point of continuing to develop Burgess so he can excel at another club. Burgess is far from the finished article and is certainly not undroppable in my opinion. If Manfedi, or some other young winger, is going to take over from Burgess then I'd like to see them get opportunities and get developed now.

Exactly, and especially before the others get so fed up, they will want to leave a club not giving them that chance.

There is also the possibility that Burgess is a one season wonder and we have had a few of those in the past.

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

I am not just basing this off last night but I do question the point of continuing to develop Burgess so he can excel at another club. Burgess is far from the finished article and is certainly not undroppable in my opinion. If Manfedi, or some other young winger, is going to take over from Burgess then I'd like to see them get opportunities and get developed now.

Exactly, and especially before the others get so fed up, they will want to leave a club not giving them that chance.

There is also the possibility that Burgess is a one season wonder and we have had a few of those in the past.

The lad will come good.

[cpwigan]

It is a very dangerous precedent.

I believe Budgie remains vital to any success we may have in 2015. He will certain win Wigan far more games than lose them.