Wigg'n wrote:
When has this happened previously?
The salary cap was introduced in 1998 and after provisional talks about it, Wigan went and signed up everything that moved on long contracts.
The Telegraph, July 2002 wrote:
Wigan were given special dispensation to exceed the salary cap because many of their players were on existing long-term contracts but they need to bring their spending into line with other clubs.
That was in 2002 when Wigan, having already being given special dispensation to break the cap for years, tried to break it further by handing David Furner a bumper and very much outside of the cap contract.
In 2011, further changes to the cap were made following a spate of high profile players leaving the competition. Wigan saw fit to give their's out prior to it actually being agreed:
The Daily Mail, November 2011 wrote:
Under changes to be agreed this week at a meeting of Super League representatives in Harrogate, clubs which produce players for England's elite training squad and the Knights will be given special dispensation to break the £1.65million wage limit. Wigan have already taken advantage of the relaxation of the regulations to top up the salary of England full-back Sam Tomkins which they say will comfortably make him the best-paid player in rugby league.
Sound familiar?
Wigan as a club were built on success. The kind of success bought by short term investment in the best players and coaches. They bankrupted themselves spending money on players in an irresponsible and unsustainable fashion. Were it not for Dave Whelan requiring a second usage element for the planning application for the DW Stadium, Wigan would have folded. They have always been anti-cap and some of their fans still don't get the concept today, arguing that its unfair that they as the worlds most successful RL club are held back by the other clubs.
BBC Sport, October 2009 wrote:
Wigan needed special dispensation from the Rugby Football League to employ Maguire, who was not at Wednesday's press conference at the DW Stadium but will join the club next month..
They even cheat when it comes to appointing coaches and I wasn't aware there were any rules governing that.
So, do you think it's even remotely possible Wigan have handed Sam Tomkins an excessively massive contract with the full knowledge that the proposed cap changes may not go through or may be revised beforehand? As ever with Wigan they go before the whistle. Other clubs will no doubt take full advantage of the potential cap changes, but those clubs will have the sporting grace to actually wait for them to happen!
