lee smith off to either wasps or saracens at end of the season.

why?? i know money talks but for gods sake!!!! kick and chase thats all they bloody do!!!!!!!

Thanks thats much better




Do we really care either way about union.

yeah when there taking all our best players, its like taking a fine tuned top of the range ferrari and using as a taxi on a saturday night. a complete waste!!!!!!!!!

We have only lost a few talented players TBF and don't forget they paid all that money for Farrell so they ain't that smart are they



Most of the players they have taken in the past have been past it.

just shows how far off Union are in picking our best stars.

maybe they will go for Mark Calderwood next

Are you saying that you don't rate Lee Smith? I do, I reckon he's a very talented athelete and Rugby player and we are only just beginning to see the best of him!

Does anyone know how Ashton is getting on in Union? I don't really follow union and i've not seen him in any headlines.

If true another real kick in the teeth for our game, and a real indication of something needed to be done about the cap.

For those claiming they take the players who are past it, may I point out Owen Farrell, Andy's son who is now playing first team at Sarricens at the age of only just 17 and was the star talent on his age group in League and George Ford a halfback playing for England u18's at the age of 16 once on the books of Waterhead.

Add to that the likes of Ashton and Myler at Northampton, and the rumoured approaches for Sean Ainscough, Tomkins and Thornely then we as a sport have much to be worried about.

There is not enough British talent in the comp as it is losing talent like that listed above is something we cannot afford to do.

The standard of the game i feel in the Uk has slipped year on year for the last 5 years removing our talent at grassroutes level does nothing to help this.

The longer the cap is enforced in the current way the longer our game will suffer.

The cap works in Australia as they have the talent and star juniors to back it up, a loss to union sees the birth of another star they can cope with it, here we cannot.

Any loss to Union is bad for our game, but the loss of a player like Lee Smith and anyother young talent that they seem to be able to pick off at will and our game is in major major trouble.

Off the sun website, was on there yesterday.

Not too fussed if he stays or goes TBH, I will let Leeds worry about that.

No I do not care, Union is so boring, if Smith wants to go let him, I will not loose any sleep over it, All iam saying is they do not rate their own young players in union, if they need to take ours, I would be pea...d off if I was a young union player coming through the ranks at union, to be dumped for a rugby league player, I say keep expanding the game, young rugby players will soon give union the cold shoulder.

Its a much wider issue than Leeds'.

Not for me it's not, but hey that's just me.

i think he is a good super league player, please don't get me wrong and would have him here. But i don't think he is the cream of the crop by any means and if all GB/England players were fit, i wouldn't have him in the national team. There are a few backs at Leeds that i rate higher fwiw.

It really should be!! IMHO

When will it be an issue for you?? when they target wakey players??

Surley you are a fan of the game first then a wakey fan!????

If Smith leaves thern good luck to him, this will give another young player a chance, just look at Wakefield nearly half the team missing and our young guns have stepped up and done a great job.

it is a worrying trend and those that are apathetic to the issue can be of they want to be, but the health of Wakefield is obviously dependant on the health of the game long term.

what can be done though?

RL clearly doesn't have the financial clout that union does, and the goes for down under as well, where NRL stars are constantly linked with union clubs; not just in Oz, but in France, Japan and other places. I don't think it is just down to the salary cap.

It is a fact that we as a code are going to have to rely less and less on imports to make up the numbers, the change in laws of the game ensure this.

It is also a fact that there are not enough quatity young players coming through the systems.

To have the best of that developing talent simply plucked from our code at will will harm the game, and the standard of play, which will in turn harm the backing of the game.

Any club trying to grow its fan base has to do so first and foremost with its onfield product and the quality and value for money, if the quality is not there the potential for growth is greatly reduced.

It attitudes of, its not my club so i do not care that really frustrates me.

To truely grow we need to breath life into the International game losing our best junior talent and International players weakens International game, and we are already struggling on this level.

I honestly do not think anyone who could not be worried by this trend can call themselves a rugby league fan.

If Leeds didn't pay Brent Webb however much money they are paying him, then they could affoad to offer Smith a better contract.

Rugby is a young mans game and you only really get a good 6-7 years when you earn good money (if you are a good player that is) so you can't blame Smith for trying to get the best money he can.

Perhaps some execptions need to be added to the cap, British players under 25 don't count towards it or something like that.

We fought for 100 years for a free gangway for players - it works both ways. There will always be players coming up through the ranks to replace them.....and that's because there is no serious union played in our 'heartlands' - Sale and Leeds excepted, just two clubs across the M62 corridor.

Kids aren't growing up wanting to play for Sandal or Stanley Rodillions are they?

The funnier story is union losing it's 'talent' to French RU where there is money galore to be had, and trying to force those players not to leave because they won't be watched by the England management team. Even the 'Man of Biscuit' has been linked with a cross-channel move.

No it works one way, and that is the problem.

The quality of our International team is reliant on both quantity and quality, we occasionally have quality but we never have the quantity.

The cap works in Australia as they have both, we in England do not. I have no idea how losing one of the British games best prospects who is a bloody good player already can be brushed off as ok as they will be others coming through.

Smith a few years ago was rated along with Inglis as the top prospect in World rugby league, Inglis kicked on Smith had a few lean years but he is now moving forward again and who knows where he could finish as a player.......well if he is any good in union like the rest of them.

As someone who has invested time and money into the development of junior players at 3 SL clubs including Wakefield this kind of it does not matter attitude stuns me.

I agree with most of what you say, the problem that union has is their game is not conducive to producing the type of athletes that the rugby league produces. For the very same reason the union game changes superb athletes that leave rugby league for rugby union into mortal men who are a pale shadow of the players they once were.

The irony in your statement is that young junior rugby league players could not be blamed for choosing to go to rugby union when rugby league clubs take the option of overseas players rather than give juniors a chance.

Strongly disagree with this statement, they simply turn them into athletes conditioned to play Union. From my personaly experiences they Union guys are bigger and stronger but lack the aerobic conditioning in the backs as they game does not need it to the same levels.

I think any young player with an eye on making the most money in Union, should start there career in League as the basic skills to be a good rugby player are taught in League, ie ball skills and defence then if you are deemed suitable and have the correct style and are any good tout yourself around the union ranks for the big money deal.

I really really dislike union but from what i see at the top level it is overtaking league as a game regards most of its aspects including basic skills, at least in England.

If we continue to allow our best juniors to cross over the tide will certainly shift in there favour.

I fully understand your point John, however isn't it the fantastic levels of athleticism and the highly honed rugby skills that rugby league demands of its players that attracts the rugby union clubs.

I too am speaking from experience and from the experiences of those close to me who have dealt with both games at the very highest level.

I can tell you that in the areas where the two games share commonality rugby union is a long way behind rugby league, frustratingly so for those whose professional grounding was in rugby league.

This is the case not because they lack the ability to practice those skills on the training field. It is because they are not required to practice those skills under the same intensity during a game.

The end result of this diminished demand is that the very skills, atrubutes and abilities that had attracted the rugby union clubs to rugby league players is inevitably eroded. The longer that player spends in the less demanding environment of rugby union the more those skills which once set him apart are lost.

Its not the size of the cap that matters, its how you use it !

That list of players that the glory hunter mentions are probably on peanuts. If Wigan gave them the same contracts as Jimmy Riddle and Co then they would make a long term career of League and not even consider Union.

Likewise with Smith, if he was on webbs contract there is no way he would be off to union.

Before we start taking knee jerk reactions with the cap, lets spend the money wisely on English youth and not put it in the pockets of highly paid Aussie has beens.

Exactly on all 3 counts.