I feel a bit sorry for Lam, a mixture of recent injuries and years of poor recruitment have made it difficult for him to find his feet at Wigan. Given both of those things, it's almost impossible for him to do what he was recruited to do - to change us into a team who play an attacking/entertaining style of rugby that will stop attendances falling year after year.

Having said that, the second point above about our defence puts a big question mark over his coaching abilities. These lads could tackle last year especially in the middle of the park and that seems to have gone. Bilko posted some scary stats on twitter about metres gained down the middle by our opposition over the last three games. If Lam can't fix that, we're always going to be under the cosh for the field position, and even if we've built up a decent lead, as we did against Cas, other teams know we've got a soft underbelly and they can rack up points if they get a roll on.

I understand what you’re saying and like to believe I too understand the salary cap regulations quite well. Having been sad enough to read through them a number of times as well as the recent outcome of the sports resolutions tribunal.

But what makes little sense is Wigan’s claims regarding the lack of cap space...

Referring back to my Hastings example we would have needed at least £150k on the cap in the instance where Hastings would be treated as the marquee player. Hastings was not signed, we signed Sammut so would expect there to be some cap space remaining for at least the difference between £150k and what Sammut earns.

Alternatively, if an existing player earning more than £175k was already utilising that marquee spot we would have needed at least £225k cap space in your example. Again, the difference between that and what Sammut is on being left available.

However, I’ve read numerous articles and quotes saying that we’re spending up to the cap. So to me, something doesn’t add up.

Players would have to have been released?

Or If we offered Hastings 175k Exactly then by Moving Farrell into Sam's Marquee spot he would have counted exactly the same as Sam did on the cap i.e. 75k and Farrell's previous value of 200k would be released leaving that for Hastings

I may be wrong on this but I’m sure I read somewhere that the marquee allowance was to be used for the duration of a contract.

For example, we sign player x and declare him marquee. He then remains marquee until that contract is ended. I don’t think you can chop and change who is marquee mid contract.

Greenwood may well have been on an improved salary this year as well knowing that he was going to be the Bateman replacement (could be nonsense but wouldn't be the first time someone was signed mid-season on pennies to squeeze them in and then had their wage upped the following season) and several youngsters signed improved deals last year that would have taken effect this year. That probably covers off Sam and the 75k of his that counted.

Hardaker probably has taken Sutton's wage at the very least leaving Bateman's wage to cover Sammut and Bullock.

"Up to the cap" doesn't necessarily mean we have no money left, just that we don't have enough money left.

Correct
Without getting into Minute details though - Players sign new contracts ala George Williams

So there would be ways round this - if Farrell signed a "New Contract" that would entitle him to the 2nd spot (If that was the one that provided the best salary cap exemption for Wigan). Etc.




I don't think you can do this either anymore?
I think a Players wages have to have a realistic increment etc. in relation to their Major part of their contract
So don't think we could have paid him the equivalent of say 10k last year and then 200k this year for example.