Craig Wing: One of Many?

Craig Wing is undeniably a fantastic rugby league player, however he is not the youngest player in the league. If he can attract a deal from Japanese Rugby Union worth $700, 000, what are they willing to offer the younger superstars of our game such as Thurston, Boyd, Hodges or Hayne? It is only a matter of time before these players begin to chase bigger numbers. Thurston has already been offered a deal worth one million dollars a season and it will be interesting to see if he accepts it, if he does, I believe this will cause a landslide affect and more and more players will begin to depart to Japan.

Rugby League cannot afford to lose anymore players to the English Superleauge or to Rugby Union whether it be overseas or in Australia. Will Chambers, who has shown promising signs during his time at the Storm, has decided to switch codes come 2010, along with Fitzgibbon and O’mealy who have both signed contracts with the Superleauge worth much more than their Roosters contracts in the NRL. This money problem has to be solves, too many players, both young and old, are getting away. Look at the likes of Matt King, Adrian Morley and Danny Buderus just to name a few. These days, when I turn on the English Superleague on a Sunday afternoon, I know most of the players with the exception of the 2 or 3 actual Englishmen who are in the teams. Why? Because the NRL is the new breeding ground for Superleague and International Rugby Union. It must stop.

The NRL needs to show players loyalty and treat them with respect to ensure that more players return. Let’s hope that the young players who have sought more money elsewhere will follow in the foot steps of Matt Rogers, Wendell Sailor and Tamana Tahu and return to out game.