Eels’ Mossop bid as Powell lands

[Owd Codger]

As the signing has been made now, I am more inclined to think that it has more to do with the non appearance of Lauraki than any rumour about Mossop.

[cpwigan]

Perhaps Mossop wants to go to Australia? When you seen how well George Burgess has developed for the benefit of Great Britain / England is make you wonder if we should be encouraging rather than discouraging players from going to Australia for stints?

Why not alter Mossop's contract? Allow him to go to Aus for 2 seasons and then have the option in our favour for him to return and complete his contract?

I really could not care less about players being better for the international team if it means Wigan losing top players. What you are effectively saying is
"let's not bother about the quality of rugby we watch for eight months of the year in the hope that we win a three or four week competition at the end of a mediocre season".
How would our good players become better in a scenario where they are not regularly tested? If the top players went South, teams such as Wigan, Saints and Leeds would be brought down to the level of Wakefield, Castleford, Widnes and Salford because of the numbers they would lose.
How would this improve the game as a spectacle and the profile of RL generally?

Please don't take this personally - but I think it is this kind of attitude that holds our game back (the bold bit). No sport other than football (at the top level) can get away with such a club-centric view in this country. Cricket don't, Rugby Union doesn't and all the smaller sports are primarily funded based on participation and ability for international level success. For The sport to gain profile. Yes we need some in Super League, but was Adrian Morley a bigger star when he went or when he came back? Was there more interest in Gareth Ellis before he went or when he said he was coming back? Having our players at the top table (NRL) and preparing them to perform highly in the internationals - that will be shown on BBC now don't forget - will help far more than Wigan running riot in regular season games.

Quality post. People need to look at the bigger picture. Self interest and short term thinking screws anything and everything up.

Our sports future health will be more affected positively or negatively by international sport than anything else.

[exile in Tiger country]

I really could not care less about players being better for the international team if it means Wigan losing top players. What you are effectively saying is
"let's not bother about the quality of rugby we watch for eight months of the year in the hope that we win a three or four week competition at the end of a mediocre season".
How would our good players become better in a scenario where they are not regularly tested? If the top players went South, teams such as Wigan, Saints and Leeds would be brought down to the level of Wakefield, Castleford, Widnes and Salford because of the numbers they would lose.
How would this improve the game as a spectacle and the profile of RL generally?

Please don't take this personally - but I think it is this kind of attitude that holds our game back (the bold bit). No sport other than football (at the top level) can get away with such a club-centric view in this country. Cricket don't, Rugby Union doesn't and all the smaller sports are primarily funded based on participation and ability for international level success. For The sport to gain profile. Yes we need some in Super League, but was Adrian Morley a bigger star when he went or when he came back? Was there more interest in Gareth Ellis before he went or when he said he was coming back? Having our players at the top table (NRL) and preparing them to perform highly in the internationals - that will be shown on BBC now don't forget - will help far more than Wigan running riot in regular season games.

Quality post. People need to look at the bigger picture. Self interest and short term thinking screws anything and everything up.

Our sports future health will be more affected positively or negatively by international sport than anything else.

I fail to see how the general standard of weekly games plummeting through the loss of top players to Australia can improve the overall standing of the game.
If the RFL want to be able to take our players whenever they want, the players should be contracted to them as well as the club. The RFL should pay part of the players salary, freeing up salary cap money to allow clubs to keep players in the Superleague rather than RU or the NRL.

[cpwigan]

Please don't take this personally - but I think it is this kind of attitude that holds our game back (the bold bit). No sport other than football (at the top level) can get away with such a club-centric view in this country. Cricket don't, Rugby Union doesn't and all the smaller sports are primarily funded based on participation and ability for international level success. For The sport to gain profile. Yes we need some in Super League, but was Adrian Morley a bigger star when he went or when he came back? Was there more interest in Gareth Ellis before he went or when he said he was coming back? Having our players at the top table (NRL) and preparing them to perform highly in the internationals - that will be shown on BBC now don't forget - will help far more than Wigan running riot in regular season games.

Quality post. People need to look at the bigger picture. Self interest and short term thinking screws anything and everything up.

Our sports future health will be more affected positively or negatively by international sport than anything else.

I fail to see how the general standard of weekly games plummeting through the loss of top players to Australia can improve the overall standing of the game.
If the RFL want to be able to take our players whenever they want, the players should be contracted to them as well as the club. The RFL should pay part of the players salary, freeing up salary cap money to allow clubs to keep players in the Superleague rather than RU or the NRL.

We live in a country where international sport and/or success is fundamental to the treatment / thinking of any sport by funding organisations / corporateinvestors and the media. Look at Union, international contests sustain the sport; look at cricket, international contests sustain the sport; look at Olympic sports, international contests sustain the sport. Even football recognises the importance of international sport. Tennis is the only exception and they are sustained by an international tournament.

The international transfer ban damaged British RL more than any other single act and put the sport back 50 years. Did Ellery going to Balmain hurt British RL? Do the Burgess brothers going to South Sydney hurt British RL? I could go on and on.

[butt monkey]

I keep checking the clubs website and other media sites for information and............... nothing!

Have we signed Powell or is an Australian club interested in signing him from us?

[cpwigan]

I keep checking the clubs website and other media sites for information and............... nothing!

Have we signed Powell or is an Australian club interested in signing him from us?

If the signing is announced then Wigan RLFC look stupid IMO.

[butt monkey]

I keep checking the clubs website and other media sites for information and............... nothing!

Have we signed Powell or is an Australian club interested in signing him from us?

If the signing is announced then Wigan RLFC look stupid IMO.

Agree with that!

How and why they think a 31 year old with no league experience will make an "adequate" replacement for either Mossop or Hock or that the deal for him is dependent on them being sold is ridiculous.

I'm just hoping all these "links" are coming from uninformed Union apologists and scribes intent on mischief within Wigan's ranks

[shaunedwardsfanclub]

Perhaps Mossop wants to go to Australia? When you seen how well George Burgess has developed for the benefit of Great Britain / England is make you wonder if we should be encouraging rather than discouraging players from going to Australia for stints?

Why not alter Mossop's contract? Allow him to go to Aus for 2 seasons and then have the option in our favour for him to return and complete his contract?

My understanding is that it is written into his contract. I am all in favour of a player going to Aus if they then return to Wigan as a better player.