WIGAN Warriors are set to free wanted man Va'aiga Tuigamala from his contract - and pave the way for his permanent return to Rugby Union.

The Wigan Board yesterday discussed releasing the Western Samoan centre from his remaining three years at Central Park.

Now Inga is expected to agree a million pound plus deal with ambitious RU newcomers Newcastle Falcons.

And he will agree to put pen to paper before the Geordie side's Pilkington Cup quarter-final tie with Leicester on Saturday week.

The 27-year-old former All Blacks winger is seen as the high profile figure needed to successfully promote the union code in the North East.

Wigan chairman Jack Robinson said: "I've had talks with the player and it does seem his future lies elsewhere. We don't see that there's any point keeping him if his heart is set on being somewhere else."

He added: "Newcastle's offer is a huge one and placed Inga under an awful lot of pressure."

Newcastle will have to buy out the rest of Tuigamala's Wigan contract and pay a transfer fee in the region of £500,000.

A further £180,000 will have to be paid to the Super League as payment for Inga's loyalty bonus handed out by Rupert Murdoch's RL hierarchy back in 1995.

Wigan are likely to use the money to try and persuade Great Britain winger Jason Robinson to stay. His contract is due to end in June when the 21-year-old flyer is expected to take up a new contact down under with the ARL.

Wigan coach Graeme West, disappointed to lose one of his stars said: "He will be a difficult player to replace, but the decision has been made. I don't know whether we will get a replacement but Andy Johnson filled in well against St Helens. We don't have much cover in the centre areas."

Gary Connolly, who missed the Challenge Cup after failing to recover in time from a cruciate ligament operation, will resume training next week and hopes to play in at least one of the two friendlies being arranged on a home and away basis with Castleford before the start of Super League. ST Helens, the Silk Cut Challenge Cup holders, and Wigan must wait until Friday to discover if they face punishment for the brawl that marred their fourth-round tie.

Players from both sides traded punches following a high tackle by Saints captain Bobbie Goulding on Wigan prop Neil Cowie and referee Russell Smith put the incident on report.

The RL's executive committee watched a video of the fighting and decided to refer the matter to a sub-committee of the board of directors.

Goulding, who was sent off for the foul, will appear before the League's disciplinary committee tomorrow and anything more than a one-match ban would rule him out of his side's fifth-round tie against Huddersfield or Hull.

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