Monday's Rugby Leaguer has this to say.Wigan step up chase for Scully : JOHN ROBINSON reports
WIGAN Warriors are set to step up the chase for Danny Sculthorpe - on the advice of England Under 21s coach John Kear.
Kear, who is also Wigan's assistant coach, has been impressed with the Rochdale Hornets prop on the current Under 21s tour of South of Africa. Sculthorpe, younger brother of Great Britain and St. Helens hero Paul, starred in last week's 20-try massacre of South Africa and was raring to go again in the yesterday's Second Test.
London Broncos have already offered £30,000 to Rochdale to buy out his contract. St. Helens and Leeds have also showed interest in the past along with Salford and Halifax.
Wigan, beaten by Bradford Bulls in the Super League Grand Final, are focussing on Sculthorpe - the Under 21s vice-captain - as they begin to rebuild an ageing pack. The Hornets are entitled a fee in accordance with the Bosman ruling because Sculthorpe is under 24 and under contract.
Sculthorpe will multiply his rugby earnings at least seven-fold if he leaves the Northern Ford Premiership to go full time in Super League. Rochdale chairman Ray Taylor said yesterday: "We are aware of Wigan's reported interest and I am not a hard man to deal with. "I will talk to any Super League club just so long as they don't think that they can steal Danny away. "We have a good relationship with the Sculthorpe family and I do not want any battling over Danny's future.
"He was still developing when he was with Leeds and Warrington as a junior and was totally disillusioned with the game when he joined us at the age of 18. "Now he is maturing into the best ball-handling prop in the game. He can do a 30-yard cut out pass better than most standoffs. 'If we lose him, it will seriously damage our Grand Final hopes for the coming season."
Sculthorpe, whose move to Warrington involved lestyn Harris going to Leeds as part of a swap deal, signed his Rochdale current contract in May last year but sub- sequently signed an extension, with a pay increase, taking him to 2003.
COMMENT by RAILWAYSIDER: So the scramble for Rugby League's last remaining class act has finally started. It's good that Hornets told London to sling their hook. Why on earth Danny would want to drag himself down there to play for a club with no ground and no discernable support outside bored ex-pat Aussies and the suckers they can lure with free tickets on Capital radio? And 30 grand? This is the England U21 vice captain we're talking about here. You're in way above your head, London - walk away.
Now, Wigan know the value of a good prop when they see one and hopefully are thinking in multiples of 30 grand to persuade Hornets to provide them with the next Great Britain pack leader. Hell, get him in the test team for weekend and have done with it. Next to Danny, Terry O'Connor looks like Des O'Connor. This really is Hornets' and Danny's big chance. So come one, come all Super League clubs - let's see the colour of your money. You know he's better than any prop you've got, You know you want him. There's only one decent Sculthorpe - and he wears a Rochdale Hornets jersey.