Wolves to target Saracens players?

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, aj1908 said:

Yeh if it's off cap I don't mind a gamble

Maybe make it for more than one year 

But for.the money  they want you'd get a much better nrl player

Maybe add.another marquee per team

Though only widdop and sbw are true marquee players and both older 

I have an issue with the marquee concept, I don't think there are too many who would get thousands into grounds, but there is no doubting that after a very slow start we are starting to see better quality signings from Oz because of the marquee allowance, so that has to be welcome. 

 

[Chamey]

3 hours ago, Dave T said:

I suppose ill go back to the point I often make here on converts. Some of the very best players to play RL and tsome of the finest I have personally seen were from an RU background. 

If we can afford to take a gamble and not have them on the cap for a bit then I'm not sure there is much to lose. 

Yep. All these 'no union players are good enough for league' flat earthers seem to forgot that 4 of the 5 members of the Wembley statue (most viewed RL statue in the world?) were discovered and then brought over from Rugby Union.

[Dave T]

2 hours ago, FearTheVee said:

Would anyone really get excited at the thought of Owen Farrell in super league?  I wouldn't.  I respect his toughness and attitude, but not sure why he would be worth a fortune as a RL player.

This I do agree with, and it is my one reservation, I'm not sure who would be that interesting to sign, but then I don't watch Union. 

Farrell signing for an RL club would at least get headlines, like Burrell did. We will see this year whether Burrell was a good signing or a dud. 

[FearTheVee]

21 minutes ago, Chamey said:

Yep. All these 'no union players are good enough for league' flat earthers seem to forgot that 4 of the 5 members of the Wembley statue (most viewed RL statue in the world?) were discovered and then brought over from Rugby Union.

I don't think anyone has said that - simply that there is a difference between being high profile in RU and being good enough to warrant the inflated wages as a RL player.

Of course there will be players in union who would be great at league - I suspect however that these are not necessaily the highest profile players (Owen Farrell being mentioned on this thread an example), and that the high profile star backs (where league did well when union was not fully pro) would be extraordinarily expensive relative to the best backs in SL - and probably even the NRL - so would be a very expensive gamble.

For example - how much would it cost to tempt say Manu Tuilagi to SL?  I would venture that it would be far, far, far more money that someone like Tuivasa-Sheck earns.  I know which one I'd rather my club threw money at (and it's not the one that jumps off ferries)

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

29 minutes ago, FearTheVee said:

I accept it would be interesting for a couple of weeks, but after some initial headlines I'm not sure how many people would be queing to hand over their money to watch someone be solid and kick goals.

I agree it might not have an instant effect of massively inreasing gates

However if we think of increasing profile/interest as a sum of many things it would be a worthwhile and significant ingredient 

[absentee thoughtlord]

I'd bring over Will Skelton. Big lad who might need a bit of endurance training, but he played League as a junior and would be a good off-the-bench impact player.

[Rupert Prince]

On 27/01/2020 at 11:32, Tommygilf said:

Owen Farrell, England Captain and Maro Itoje, probably Englands best player are the stand outs for me but are unlikely to leave. 

The most likely players to leave aren't as "big names" and wouldn't be worth the salaries imo. 

Farrell is a good rugby player, but would he put bums on seats. A Boston or Vollonheven would in their prime. More recently a Wally Lewis,  or Mal Meninga.

Of course good players, especially ones who can kick goals like a Frank Botica,  can win games and Cups and Grand Finals. But few get supporters off their sofas.  I notice that for many football clubs the interest in the FA Cup is waning .

[Man of Kent]

3 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

Farrell is a good rugby player, but would he put bums on seats. A Boston or Vollonheven would in their prime. More recently a Wally Lewis,  or Mal Meninga.

Of course good players, especially ones who can kick goals like a Frank Botica,  can win games and Cups and Grand Finals. But few get supporters off their sofas. 

Not that I watch it but it’s hard to think of a current yawnion player who would put bums on seats. Certainly no British players.

[Dunbar]

1 hour ago, Man of Kent said:

Not that I watch it but it’s hard to think of a current yawnion player who would put bums on seats. Certainly no British players.

I think this is probably true.  I would say that Farrell is among the four or five best known players in the England team alongside the likes of Billy and Vunipola, Maro Itoje and Manu Tuilagi but I don't think any of them would put bums on seats as exciting signings (although I think Farrell and Tuilagi would make very good League players).

Of the British players, George North of a few years ago would probably have been a headline grabbing signing.

Personally I think Bath centre Jonathan Joseph would make an outstanding League centre but that would be as a player rather than a coup to grab headlines.

 

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

On 27/01/2020 at 15:18, SSoutherner said:

Can't see what Itoji would bring to League, one of his biggest assets in Union is his athleticism and work rate allowing him to get to the ruck and win turnover ball. That is an irrelevance for League, yes he does have the ability to bosh a few defenders out the way but I doubt he could do it to the same extent in League and for the amount he would cost he will have more worth to some other Union club looking for the turnovers - i know he is not a saracens player but someone like Sam Underhill would be better, his workrate and tackling would make him better suited to continually being able to front up through an entire set of 6

 

Totally agree about Itoje. Has athleticism, clears out really well, strong technically in the line out but can't see home making tackle busts in an organised SL defence 

If Underhill lost a bit of weight he'd be a monster prop. Same goes for Quin's Dombrandt..... 

Marcus Smith is a an up and coming fly half at Quin's who would make a great league half

[RMBJ]

On 27/01/2020 at 12:59, FearTheVee said:

Might be just me but the thought of a union player who may or may not be any good at RL getting paid a lot more than our top players doesn't float my boat.

For example, I'd be interested to know what Luther Burrell is earning at Wire for not showing any real signs of being anything other than an average joe squad player (might eat my words this year but I'd be surprised).

 

Luther Burrell was nothing more than an average joe squad player when he left union, at club level he'd slipped down the squad and was not starting material and Eddie Jones substituted him after just 20 minutes in the only test match he started him with the first squad he inherited. He was never picked for any England squad again. He really wasn't great and his England caps had far more to do with the England coach at the time employing rugby nepotism as he'd coached Burrell as a junior at Leeds years before.

I didn't understand the move when I first heard about it as the two things Burrell definitely wasn't noted for in union were to carry hard or tackle hard. And I didn't rate his distribution much either!

[Poower Lad]

On 27/01/2020 at 11:32, Tommygilf said:

Owen Farrell, England Captain and Maro Itoje, probably Englands best player are the stand outs for me but are unlikely to leave. 

The most likely players to leave aren't as "big names" and wouldn't be worth the salaries imo. 

How would itoje fare at league 

[Leeds Wire]

On 27/01/2020 at 15:20, Dave T said:

I have an issue with the marquee concept, I don't think there are too many who would get thousands into grounds, but there is no doubting that after a very slow start we are starting to see better quality signings from Oz because of the marquee allowance, so that has to be welcome. 

 

Ooh look, it's the DaveT 'caveat of misery'.

 

[Leeds Wire]

On 27/01/2020 at 15:23, Dave T said:

This I do agree with, and it is my one reservation, I'm not sure who would be that interesting to sign, but then I don't watch Union. 

Farrell signing for an RL club would at least get headlines, like Burrell did. We will see this year whether Burrell was a good signing or a dud. 

Back of the caveat net again Dave 

[Dave T]

13 minutes ago, Leeds Wire said:

Ooh look, it's the DaveT 'caveat of misery'.

 

 

10 minutes ago, Leeds Wire said:

Back of the caveat net again Dave 

I'm not sure of your point mate, all my posts in this thread are advocating us doing this. 

[Leeds Wire]

10 minutes ago, Dave T said:

 

I'm not sure of your point mate, all my posts in this thread are advocating us doing this. 

It was meant to be light-hearted Dave, you seem to add a caveat to most posts. No offence meant 

[Dave T]

6 minutes ago, Leeds Wire said:

It was meant to be light-hearted Dave, you seem to add a caveat to most posts. No offence meant 

None taken LW just didn't follow. The reason I have caveats is because none of it is black and white I suppose. 

[Sports Prophet]

On 27/01/2020 at 23:19, FearTheVee said:

I accept it would be interesting for a couple of weeks, but after some initial headlines I'm not sure how many people would be queing to hand over their money to watch someone be solid and kick goals.

I reckon he would be a great halfback. Potentially England quality.

[doc]

Id let Wire waste, sorry, invest in some Saracen player I've never heard of. I really don't know any. Watch him develop into a top notch average player out on loan to a League 1 club. Then continue learning in the Reserves in the second year. 

Would think most, maybe all will stay with what they know. 

Apologies if being negative.

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Poower Lad said:

How would itoje fare at league 

I think he'd do alright

[SSoutherner]

9 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

I think he'd do alright

Why, his specialist skills that mark him out as a great Union player are the very ones pointless in a league game. Lineouts NOPE, turnovers NOPE.

 

He is a great athlete but so are lots of players - i'd have lawes over him (well maybe not now but a few years ago)  just for his tackling

[Wollongong]

Having watched hundreds of Union players convert and play league in the 70s and 80s I would say that most if not all are capable of making the switch. There are a handful of talented players who make world class... 

 

my favourite converts were Kieth Smith and Mike Lampkowski