Wednesday 8 April 2015 16:23, UK
Phil Clarke insists that there is no guarantee that Sam Tomkins will re-join Wigan when he returns to Super League with Warrington and Leeds among his other potential suitors.
The England star announced on Wednesday that he will leave New Zealand Warriors to return to his homeland at the end of the current season, less than two years after making a world record move to the NRL.
Many anticipate that Tomkins will simply look to pick up from where he left off at Wigan, joining brothers Joel and Logan at the DW Stadium. However, Clarke believes that it is far from a foregone conclusion.
“It isn’t guaranteed Wigan. Everyone would assume that and, of course, that would be the first port of call,” he told Sky Sports News HQ.
He was a star for the Wigan Warriors and all the expectation is that he returns to play in the cherry and white shirt. But it wouldn’t surprise me if there was interest from Warrington or Leeds
“He was a star for the Wigan Warriors and all the expectation is that he returns to play in the cherry and white shirt. But it wouldn’t surprise me if there was interest from Warrington or Leeds in this case.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if a bigger offer came in from Leeds or the Warrington Wolves who are well financed by their owner Simon Moran, and who I’m sure respects him.”
While Warriors fans would be loath to see their former hero running out for a rival, Clarke pointed to a similar situation in the world of football and believes the prospect of playing for his boyhood club could prove tempting for Tomkins.
“Not long ago in football, Willian who eventually ended up at Chelsea, everyone thought he was going to Tottenham and there is a similarity here,” he said.
“The interesting thing with Sam Tomkins, as a boy when his family moved to the north of England, he was a Warrington fan so there is every chance he could go back there.”
“A lot of people say never return to the club that you’ve left and he left on a great high. I don’t believe that anybody could have had a more successful five years than he did with the Wigan Warriors and it’s a test whether he can return and find that form.”
Wherever the half-back ends up, the Sky Sports pundit has no doubt that his return will be a boost to the Super League with his character, as well as his skill, sure to add to the competition.
“I think it is a great thing for people who want to watch the Super League,” Clarke added. “He’s charismatic, I mean anyone who saw interview Russell Crowe on the red carpet in Leicester Square knows what a personality he adds to the game.
“He infuriates many of the supporters of the teams that he doesn’t play for but he certainly added to the Super League competition when he was in it last time.
“Its 20 years to the day since the clubs in this country chose to switch from a winter sport to a summer sport and no player has probably benefitted from that change more than Sam Tomkins because of the hard surfaces, that fast track that allows him to show the speed and the skill that he has and demonstrate Rugby League at it’s very best.”
