Tomkins Leaving - Official

[Southern Softy]

I'd quite like the insults and insinuations to stop right now.
I don't think Sam owes us anything - we've been privileged to see him play at the club. When I've seen him play, I've understood just what makes RL such a wonderful game when players like him perform and you simply marvel at the seemingly impossible things that he manages to make commonplace.
If we win anything this season, it will be because (partly) of his talent at either FB or in the halves. This doesn't mean that the other players are not integral parts of a Wigan team and don't deserve praise, it's just that talents like Sam don't come along very often and we should make the most of him while we can.

[Wigan_forever1985]

I find it quite funny that certain fans are pulling the "He's thinking of his family crap" It's not like he's struggling on Willie Isa money, He's had at least 2 huge money contracts and he drives a Porsche ffs (Or at least he did the last time i saw him in a car)

He is a mercenary

He's not on footballer money either his career will be over in the next 5 years. I dont understand the logic of this argument is there an amount were fans think players should just start turning contracts down?, what he can't want the best for his family and take a large contract? wouldn't you want as much money as possible to give your family nice things?

He doesn't (correct me if you know more) even drive a Porsche anymore he drives a BMW M4 i think - he likes cars and he buys nice ones so what?

If someone came to me and said ill give you 10million a year for doing the job you are now i wouldn't say "no thats too much".

you say he's a mercenary i say he's doing the best he can in the career he has, he has seen out his contract what more is it you want from him?

[medlocke]

I find it quite funny that certain fans are pulling the "He's thinking of his family crap" It's not like he's struggling on Willie Isa money, He's had at least 2 huge money contracts and he drives a Porsche ffs (Or at least he did the last time i saw him in a car)

He is a mercenary

He's not on footballer money either his career will be over in the next 5 years. I dont understand the logic of this argument is there an amount were fans think players should just start turning contracts down?, what he can't want the best for his family and take a large contract? wouldn't you want as much money as possible to give your family nice things?

He doesn't (correct me if you know more) even drive a Porsche anymore he drives a BMW M4 i think - he likes cars and he buys nice ones so what?

If someone came to me and said ill give you 10million a year for doing the job you are now i wouldn't say "no thats too much".

you say he's a mercenary i say he's doing the best he can in the career he has, he has seen out his contract what more is it you want from him?

He made enough money off his NZ deal and Wigan return to set him up for life, rumoured to be over £1m, please don't make out like he is a struggling squad player on £30k a year, loyalty means nothing to him, yet if he'd had his contract cut short he'd be the first ranting on about loyality, never wanted back in the first place, 10 or 12 good games in 3 years of service, well worth the money if you ask me

[doc]

Lewis Tierney must be pulling his hair out at this news! Left Wigan to get first team rugby because of Sam who now rocks up again at his new club.

Rads and IL better have something good up their sleeves such as Wane to Catalan and Edwards to Wigan with Thurston or Shaun Johnson as the new marquee player.

[Wigan_forever1985]

I find it quite funny that certain fans are pulling the "He's thinking of his family crap" It's not like he's struggling on Willie Isa money, He's had at least 2 huge money contracts and he drives a Porsche ffs (Or at least he did the last time i saw him in a car)

He is a mercenary

He's not on footballer money either his career will be over in the next 5 years. I dont understand the logic of this argument is there an amount were fans think players should just start turning contracts down?, what he can't want the best for his family and take a large contract? wouldn't you want as much money as possible to give your family nice things?

He doesn't (correct me if you know more) even drive a Porsche anymore he drives a BMW M4 i think - he likes cars and he buys nice ones so what?

If someone came to me and said ill give you 10million a year for doing the job you are now i wouldn't say "no thats too much".

you say he's a mercenary i say he's doing the best he can in the career he has, he has seen out his contract what more is it you want from him?

He made enough money off his NZ deal and Wigan return to set him up for life, rumoured to be over £1m, please don't make out like he is a struggling squad player on £30k a year, loyalty means nothing to him, yet if he'd had his contract cut short he'd be the first ranting on about loyality, never wanted back in the first place, 10 or 12 good games in 3 years of service, well worth the money if you ask me

but my question is why shouldn't he want to earn more even if he took home 5 million in NZ, why shouldn't he still want to earn the most he can?, i just dont understand the logic behind saying well he isn't on 30k a year so he should be happy. Footballers get 300k per week! yet they still try and earn more, who doesn't try and maximise their earnings while they work especially in a short career

What loyalty does he owe the club? he has served his contract, saying if they cut his contract short he would be mad makes no sense either -of course he would, he would have every right to, but he hasn't cut his stay short did he -he has served his contract.

He isn't to blame for being signed while injured, that is solely the responsibility of the club not Sam

[Wandering Warrior]

Lewis Tierney must be pulling his hair out at this news! Left Wigan to get first team rugby because of Sam who now rocks up again at his new club.

Rads and IL better have something good up their sleeves such as Wane to Catalan and Edwards to Wigan with Thurston or Shaun Johnson as the new marquee player.

Interesting, but you'll need to wake up soon as you well know! :eusa18:

[w.thomas]

I see the happy clapping lipsticks out for Sam T the golden boy are out in force! End of the day he was paid to do a job for years and hes either been injured or crap, not good enough for me. I've seen today someone say he's given everything for the club... complete and utter crap that. Could of been a legend but decided his kids should learn French instead! Ha it's laughable. I'm not sad to see him going, no one is bigger than the mighty Warriors. I'd like to see us get a top class half from Aus but with Wane at the helm it will be Zac at fullback with escare moved into the halves.

[DaveO]

Dave,

If a junior was on a 3 year contract and had an amazing breakthrough year in year 1 an even better year in 2 and was touted as a megastar, would you think

A) the club have a 3 year contract and must honour it even though player is paid a pittance compared to his market value

B) offer to renegotiate the contract for the final year on better terms and extend it?

I know what you are trying to say but they are not remotely the same thing. Just because the club can do right by such a junior player if it wants to doesn't give it any grounds for saying to a player it agreed to pay £X to in 2019 they it would like him to still play for the club for less money for that year. Go down that route and players contracts become open to re-negotiation to the players detriment at the whim of the club.

In sams case the club had an option for 1 year. The clue is in the word 'option'. They could have had one more year, let him go now, or decide as they did to negotiate a longer term deal to keep him to the end of his career - on what must have been a pretty damn good contract.

The club didn't want to take the option because it decided the salary it agreed when they signed the deal for that option was now too high. That is acting in bad faith and says to any player if Wigan offers you a deal with an option like that it is not worth the paper it is written on. If they wanted him for longer they should have honoured their agreement for 2019 and negotiated future years after that.

I'm at a loss to know why you feel sam has been so hard done by.

I think it's obvious.

Imo - Sam wanted a change in lifestyle as well as a great final pay day. This is only my opinion but i think he thought he received too much stick from so called wigan fans and probably thought he can go elswhere, not get the same stick and live a pretty nice lifestyle. His decision.

The change in lifestyle is as good a reason as any to leave but to start negotiating with a player of his quality with a ploy of "we don't want to pay you as much as we agreed for 2019" is bonkers. We don't know the figures involved but to make it worth the bother of NOT paying him option salary for 2019 the difference between that and what they offered must have been substantial. May as well tell the player to start looking elsewhere.

What happens next is going to be interesting. Will the club splash the cash and sign another genuine marquee besides signing Hardaker? Or are we now run to the budget of a mid table club?

[Exiled Wiganer]

I had a few minutes on my hand, so had a quick look through the League Express annuals for the last couple of seasons. In 2016 and 2017, Sam was named Wigan’s best player in a super league game on 3 occasions. That’s not even man of the match, that is our best player. Our marquee player, who as a playmaker gets far more chance to shine. Gelling had more.
People can get dewy eyed - someone even said he was a Wigan great on this thread, astonishingly. His highlights reel ended in 2013.

[jao711]

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.

I'll put 50p on it that he is at Warrington inside of 2 seasons

. Last of the high rollers.