Smith will be 25 by the time the 2025 NRL season starts. Why would he delay the prospect of a massive pay rise for another 2/3 years?

Makes very little sense to me, if he wants to go he'd be mad not to go for 2025 IMO.

A real shame though, it's getting harder and harder to keep top players in the game (and HS has certainly proven this year he is well and truly in that bracket). Hopefully Wigan can make a marquee deal work.

I think Wigan fans will have to accept the high likelihood that 2024 will be the last year we have Smith, Field and French as the spine of our team. Because 1) they are all off contract at the end of 2024, 2) they will all have NRL interest and 3) there are only three marquee spots and we decided to use one on Thompson.

The one thing I hope hasn't happened is that Wigan have inadvertently snookered themselves by offering Thompson the marquee deal he has. As I said on a previous post, Smith's rise has been relatively quick (primarily over the 2nd half of 2023) so perhaps Wigan didn't view him as someone who could be in the marquee mix in their long term planning. The long term plan may have been Field, French and Thompson for marquee spots.

Alternatively, Wigan may already be aware that one of Field or French will move on thus opening up a spot.

Personally, I think if we start 2025 with two of Field, French and Smith then I'd be over the moon.

It’s a big ask to expect Farrimond to step up and replace Smith so quickly but I’d rather have French and Field if it came to keeping 2 of the 3. Smith has obviously stepped up this back end of the season so he’s shown it can be done with the right players around him.

Maybe just me but I don't think Field will get much attention from the NRL. You'd certainly be happiest losing him out of the three you mention

Or I would be, can see that has already been disputed above!

It isn't possible to have those 3 as marquee.

It is according to the below press release on marquee players.

[iThe current two marquee player limit will increase to three, as long as at least one of the players is federation trained.

Non-federation trained marquee players will remain at £150,000, but federation-trained players will count as £100,000 and club-trained as £50,000.[/i

I see Owen Farrell has just announced he will not be available for selection for the Six Nations in 2024 as he wants to take a break from International rugby to protect his and his family's mental wellbeing. It says he will continue to play for Saracens but might this be paving the way for a change of scene?

I think people get way to fixated on the marquee tag, having 3 players designated as marquee and then someone wanting a pay rise to then become a top 3 earner or having a bigger dispensation doesn’t mean the person he is replacing as a marquee player has to leave or one of the others do.. It could just potentially mean your squad is a little top heavy and squad depth could suffer but you could in theory have 4 players on 400k a year each and only 550k count towards the cap.

Yes, but given the increasing disparity in cap between NRL and SL (now around £4.8 million to £2.1 million with various exemptions) it becomes trickier. It probably is possible to accommodate one other player at a 'marquee level' salary without them occupying a marquee spot.

I wonder how open players are with each other about what they are earning - might be the best policy to keep it under wraps but word will no doubt spread. Always wondered about the potential for big disparities in salary within a squad to cause friction but I guess that happens in all sports.

Yeah, that’s true but we have increased the number of marquee spots which counteracts that, pushing the cap up to say £2.5/3m dependant on how much the marquee players earn. Im just saying if Smith wants £3/400k a year it doesn’t mean we have to get rid of French or Field to pay him that.

thats where the club accountants earn their money

if we use Smith, Thompson, French and Field for illustrative purposes and they are all on £400k salary

How we then use the marquee slots could save us £100k on the cap £800k v £700k, so whilst as fans we shouldnt worry about who is named marquee, the club do need to right on top of this to ensure we are utilising the benefit fully

In true RFL fashion though the number of each type of marquee isnt clear, other than they state at least 1 must be Federation trained i.e. you cant have 3 overseas non fed trained marquee. However, it doesnt say you cant have 3 club trained (that i can see), so (purely for illustration) if our top earners were Farrell, Smith and Smithies (prior to him leaving) and all 3 were on £300k, could we have benefitted from only paying £150k on the cap, instead of £900k

1. Farrell announcing he's withdrawing from international RU
2. Squad numbers still not announced for some reason even though new shirts are now on sale
3. Mike Danson takes over ownership of the club tomorrow
4.............

To me it feels like Farrell announcing that makes any rumoured move more unlikely. Why announce a break from internationals if you’re leaving the sport anyway?! An announcement on an exit would just put paid to any more internationals.

On the other hand, If it were to happen, I could see him playing out the club Union season and then coming here mid summer but I can’t see it.

I can't see it happening and have never believed the rumours re Owen Farrell, but sometimes it's nice to put 2 + 2 together and come up with 999,999,999.

It’s ticking the off season over at least. It feels to me like there has probably been talks but he’s decided to stay in Union.

The debate about Owen Farrell has been interesting. Most of us seem to think he would find top level RL a challenge at his age, and that making the kind of impact he made in RU would be impossible. The counterbalance was that most commentators felt it would still send shockwaves through Union, and would be worth it just for the publicity it would generate.

But reading the papers the last few days has been a revelation to me. I'd no idea Owen was so widely disliked in 15-a-side. I've no idea why either, as I don't follow it, but on that basis ... would it really be seen as such a national disaster if so few of them actually appreciate him?

I think it’s because he still has his Wigan accent.
Looks like he will be staying in RU. He sounds like a decent bloke to me so I wish him and his family all of the best.
If he had signed for us the RU fraternity would still have been in meltdown irrespective of their views of him.
It was a good tale while it lasted.

There definitely was "Something" in it
If it doesn't happen, it doesn't mean that something couldn't have happened

Most have been galling for them watching an oik showing them how to play all these years.

Yeah, you can’t have all 3 non federation, that’s the only restriction so you can have 3 club trained counting £50k (my understanding). Pretty sure it’s been mentioned on here or somewhere else that Farrell was marquee rather than Field, even more likely this season as the dispensation is £100k more for Farrell.

He seems very similar to Sam Tomkins in his standing within the game, a lot of fans hate him and can’t stand him but his peers, coaches and opposition appreciate him and regard him as one of the best players in the world at their best. He is a bit gobby on the field which is something that’s not normally seen on a Union field, he also in no way tries to endear himself to the public, what you see if what you get, he’s not media trained like some and comes across a little dull and uninterested in interviews at times. I also think his game has fallen away and while he is still seen as a top player by a lot of people his haters want England to move on from him which given his age and decline, particularly his place kicking which is so big in Union I think might be the best for England RU.

They should be careful what they wish for, he carried England in the World Cup.

They should be careful what they wish for, he carried England in the World Cup.

Indeed,I wonder if he's backing himself by stepping away from the England side to show what he brings to the table?it's a gamble for sure but one alongside the need to step away from the cesspool that seems to surround England side it's a gamble I would take.

As for the rumour of coming over to Wigan it wasn't going to happen he'd be on far to much for league and yes I don't care that Wigan have a rich owner I don't see him splashing silly money about I just don't the clubs won't go short but I don't see Penrith leaving behind Nathan Cleary in February because Danson has bought him (we can but dream I suppose)