Rogues Gallery wrote:
It's hardly news is it? He's said all along that he'd like to have a go over in Aus. Good luck to him. He'll have completed seven seasons at Wigan at the end of this year.
His three best mates, Williams, Sutton and Joe Burgess have experienced the Aussie lifestyle so it was almost inevitable that he would want to try his luck.
If he stays fit he should do well over there.
I agree there shouldn't be any ill feeling towards him if he does go - seven seasons of full commitment and a huge asset to the team. I'll enjoy watching him play NRL and there's always the chance he'll come back of course.
But the NRL bug seems to have well and truly infected the Wigan club and looks to be spreading all the time. Compare the NRL moves of English players in the Wigan and St Helens clubs over the last decade and it looks like this (I may have missed someone):
Saints - James Graham, Luke Thompson
Wigan - Sam Tomkins, John Bateman, Ryan Sutton, George Williams, Joe Burgess, Dan Sarginson, Harry Rushton, Oliver Gildart (a move for Ethan Havard also looks inevitable in the next few years)
Probably three main reasons for this in addition to the general appeal of a better quality competition, new country, great weather etc.
1) Players are watching how well it has gone for their mates and want to follow in their footsteps (plus it will always help with the transition if they know there will be a familiar face or two already there).
2) NRL clubs will be watching the success of some of the WIgan boys that have gone over and potentially target the club's players as a result.
3) The policy of the Wigan club not to try to prevent NRL moves but part with players on good terms in the hope they will return.