Quote jonh="jonh"
My stance is this.
1.Those who think it will attract no publicity are deluded the man is a legend in Wales and that alone has the potential to open up a whole new fan base for us, especially now there is no top flight team in Wales.'"
Please explain how any interest in Wales in Thomas signing for Wigan will translate into a new fan base. Unless our coach in 2012 is bonkers he will never make a 1st team game so why is that going to attract then to our club?
Even if they decide Wigan is their pet "RL" side after they have finished watching the Osprey's or whoever do you seriously think they are going to spend one penny actively supporting Wigan? Armchair fans at best but you know what? They probably already are armchair fans of the game. We might get a coach load if he is ever picked for a game and enough notice is given.
Quote jonh2.Gareth Thomas will get more column inches than any other rugby player in the world in the next year or so. The film will only enhance his reputation and bring him to new audiences. Again great potential to piggy back this.
3.Sam Tomkins recently stated if he moved to union much of it would be fuelled by the recognition the union guys get any extra media attention Thomas and his club get can only boost the star attractions profile.'"
Point 2, his media value is far less than it was than when playing RU for Wales and as he gets older and plays less (well not at all next year hopefully if he does sign for us) it will decrease further.
If in 3 you mean Thomas moving to Wigan is going to raise the profile of the game in any way that will make it less attractive for the likes of Tomkins to go to RU or for high profile quality RU players to come to RL I think you are deluded. If you don't mean that I don't know what you are on about.
Quote jonh4.IFL recently stated foreign targets were increasingly difficult to attract due to the money now involved in the NRL. He also stated that we would be looking to Union for targets. Thomas' signing by Wigan means again that due to his reputation in Union we may prove a more attractive draw in the future.'"
Not it doesn't. Leagues draw is limited by it's lack of a perceived International game, lower wages than RU and a lower media profile none of which us signing a 37 year former great RU player player for a year are going to influence in any way because the operative word is "former".
Quote jonh5.George Carmont is as we know getting on a bit in terms of his professional career. We also have a converted second row in the other centre birth. Resting George against the lesser lights and giving Thomas game time against certain clubs would not do us any harm, we are clearly short of a quality centre coming through the ranks and we are unaware of the future of some of our fringe first teamers such as Marsh and Goulding, neither look like breaking into the first team in the foreseeable future (in my opinion if ever) and may be allowed to move on for the good of their careers.
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Here we go again. Diminish our own players abilities to justify the Thomas signing. That converted 2nd rower just scored one of the most memorable Wembley tries ever and converted 2nd row he may be, even mentioning that in a post justifying Thomas signing is ridiculous. He is so far ahead of Thomas it is completely disingenuous to even bring it up.
Likewise trying to justify signing a 37 year old for Carmont because Carmont is getting on is daft. It'll be like Dad's army.
It always never ceases to amaze me how quick some people are to pick faults in players to justify actions of the club. No I know you have never been a great fan of Goulding but be honest, if I had come on here two months ago and suggested we sign Thomas you would have never stopped laughing.
Quote jonh6.It appears that he may cost us very very little in terms of cap if anything according to some of the rumours.'"
I'll pay the club £100 a game to play. The fact he may be free doesn't make him good enough.
Quote jonh7.He is a pretty good player. Not a world beater but certainly on a par with any of our current back up backs in my opinion.'"
He is not a "pretty good playe"r. If he were he'd have stood out in the Crusaders side and doesn't, he just looks average to anonymous. Given that is the truth of it and he is 37 soon to be 38 there is no playing justification for signing him at all. (I happen to think the PR reasons are vastly over stated as well).
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