And here is me thinking Leeds Wage bill throughout much of our glory years was significantly higher than Wigans according to reports, added to this they were full time pro at the same time, some report earlier.

Still if that does not fit your argument just ignore it.

If we release him mid season his severance package will still count towards the cap so will leave us financially in the same position but a player down.

The only was Wigan would release him would be as part of a player exchange deal or if the player requested it for personal reasosns (a la Barrett).

Regardless of opinions of him as a player he is part of the squad and if he was released who would cover at half-back?

Not that it matters but Gleeson, Phelps or Lockers.

Basically, if the player is entitled to money: i.e. the remainder of his contract.

What is interesting about the Barrett issue, is that although he requested to leave, he asked for a pay off due to the way Mo promised him a set figure of money top heavy over the final years of his contract.

I don't know how the Chairman worked it, but that money would have to be accounted for on the salary cap either last season or this. Given we signed two players at the back end of last season I wouldn't mind betting Barrett is still on the cap in some form this season.

True they could all cover but that means changing the rest of the team around - more disruption (although I wouldn't be surprised to see Gleeson cover at 6 during matches if players go off for whatever reason).

I suspect Smith will play a part in some games especially the games against lower teams. No way will Sam play in every game.

I don't see any harm in hanging onto Smith until his contract expires at the end of the season.

Agreed that he isn't doing much. But if we're paying him, we might as well keep hold of him. If nothing else, he provides cover of sorts.

If an opportunity to unload him comes along - on loan somewhere, or as part of a swap deal, or in the unlikely event that someone wants to buy him, then that would be different.

Wigan didn't have an unfair advantage. Stop trotting out the cliched rubbish that your embittered grandad keeps force-feeding you.

They weren't bankrolled by a millionaire. Any club could have taken the chance that Wigan took.

And before you say it, they didn't go full time professional until about 1994, when they'd already swept the trophy board several times (and several other clubs were only a season or so behind them in doing the same thing).

It might interest you to know that Maurice Lindsay tried to get involved at Warrington before he came to Wigan. He wasn't wanted there. Whether that was a good thing or bad thing from Wire's perspective, we'll never know. But it was a good thing from Wigan's, because it gave us a great era to look back on. And that is the real reason for the chip that people like you just can't shake off your shoulder. Stop pretending that you're some kind of reasonable citizen who feels he must point out an injustice. There wasn't one.

Some of the clubs i have been involved with like to retain players coming to the end of there deal just as an extra body in training, ie someone to hold a bag run a defence against etc etc.

To release him for the sake of it would be totally poitless, although i agree if the opportunity to sign Finch for example occured and Para were interested in taking Smith back as his replacement then i would bite there arm off were i the chairman.

Trolling by most peoples definition on here is having an opinion against another persons club.

It's an opinion whether you agree with it or not FFS


On the Leeds point if that's true it would still be a 2 horse race
so great, a league and cup won on the toss of a coin.

Since SL started it's been more of an open competition

Guess that’s the be all and end all then eh?

Like someone else has said on here before we could get two groups of lads off the streets and although it would be competitive it doesn’t mean it would be any good does it? There are some very poor teams in SL both of our teams included but yet other teams seem happy with this as the comp is competitive? How about we all try to get to the level Wigan were at and have a much better product on show.

BTW so SL isn’t a two horse race this year is it? I’m sure if the playoff systems were in place back in the ‘glory days’ Wigan wouldn’t have been as dominant as they were.

Get your facts right first or you look like an idiot mate..

Yeah, instead of either Leeds or Wigan winning it, it's either Leeds or St Helens. Great improvement.

Still, I can see why that would please a die-hard Warringtonian.

so Bradford and Hull Fc being major players since SL started has been forgotten already.

Im on about SL from start to finish not just the last 2 seasons

Super league has been great for rugby as a whole
It did Wire no favours(playing in the summer) yet im still in support of it.

Sorry, but it could easily be argued that SL has never been more than a two-horse race. Hull have had their moments, sure, but then so have Wigan. Both clubs are still shadows of their former selves.

Bradford were the intial challengers to Saints, but they've faded badly in recent years and Leeds have stepped into the breach.

At any one time there's only ever really been two teams in it.

And if you remember Wigan's 'golden era', for at least half of that period there were also two teams in it - Wigan and Widnes. So in that respect there's hardly been any improvement at all.

The main excitement in SL has, ironically, come at the bottom of the table, where big names were often in the mix for relegation. But that probably owed to having a league in which there were only 12 teams rather than because standards had improved.

...I find it amusing how some Warrington supporters are still trying to play down Wigan as club because one of their best, high profile players decided to leave them to join us.

Talk about insecurity...

Get over it.

most seasons in rugby and football usually come down to 2 teams occasionally 3 and very rarely 4

Personally, I believe we (as a club) have done Smith a great disservice. His defence is no worse now than it was in the NRL. However, in the NRL he defended between Hindmarsh and Cayless, something I could probably do!

He is contracted to the end of the season so he may as well stay here as cover or to provide some direction in the Reserves.

FWIW, if Finch leaves the Eels, say goodbye to Smith.

Sorry but what the hell has all this current pap got to do with Gleeson or signings for 2009/10?

Instead of conjecture and wishlists we've an embittered Dire fan bleating on about Wigan's past glories and ignoring Warrington's failure to be anything other than perennial under-achievers, level playing field or otherwise.

Where's a mod to get it back on topic when you need one?

just above

have you finished ranting now wfl???

They are both machines when it comes to defending, especially Hindmarsh so no wonder he wasn't found out defensively

Why don't we put him in between Hansen and Lockers or Hansen and Fielden?

Might actually see what Smith can do then

Oh shurrup n pass me my tampax....

?

This is what suprises me most about our coach, who it is claimed is a strong defensive coach, yet our defensive structures and plays are generally shambolic.

Other teams manage to protect players in the line, we seem to offer our oponents free license to exploit them at will.

It does not work quite like that.

What counts on the cap is just his severance package not any wages due or already paid. If he agreed to leave for for say £10K that is all that would count on the cap.

Alternatively if he agreed to leave for the remainder of his contract payments which is 8 months in this salary cap year, then 8 months not 12 months wages would count on the cap.

I don't think he will be on a high wage myself given we have done him the favour we have.

Dave

We can't afford to have a weak link.
I wouldn't like to be a player, thinking I had to cover for a team mate who can't tackle.
It's not as though he is good on attack (like Brian Bevan).