Yes - model sporting professionals who like to look after themselves and get themselves into the peak of condition and fitness by scarfing a few pints just a couple of hours before taking to the field in vital cup games are just the kind of inspiration that our young players need to look up to. I bet he taught Scott Moore everything he knows...

And besides, Briers only qualifies as a top player now because the standard of the competition and players in it has collapsed down to his level over the last few years. He could only teach the younger generation how to be the very definition of average and win nothing at a nothing club for the vast majority of their careers, and give tips on how best to keep warm while living in the icy shadow of [iactual[/i top players like Martyn, Long, Goulding, Pryce, Sculthorpe etc.

Whilst ignoring everything that the silly Wire supporter has said on the previous posts this is a very good point

Briers , and the whole Wire team to a certain extent, has risen to the top by remaining resolutely average as the rest of the league continues to get worse each year

Maybe that's why once the competition starts proper they usually start to fall apart

Its a bit like how Saints started winning trophies when Super League started, it was just because the great Wigan side of old became average.

Sure Saints had a good run of success but Millward's entertainers would never have won anything if Wigan had Hanley, Edwards, Bell, Offiah and all the greats.

Of course the era when your big rivals were Bradford with world class talent like Michael Withers, Scott Naylor, Nathan McAvoy was when talent was at its peak!

No let’s be honest it wouldn’t be arrogance it would be the fact that it’s a lie now, and that aspirations don’t count, so I would wait if I was you. As for those jerseys starting involuntary bowel movements in the Wigan team, well I think they like your GF hopes will turn out to be no more than just a mirage.

Good idea in practice but I'm not sure our players are fluent in hobo.

if Briers was any good, he'd not have been playing in a Warrington side that, for the majority of his career there, has been incredibly average.

If it's more than a decade at a club before you win anything, I'm going to suggest that other factors (Wire's new millionaire owner, and their coach) have more to do with it.

Briers is an average player getting carried by a decent side. Not fit to lace up Kevin Sinfield's boots.

Not being the type who goes on other club's boards I've only spotted this thread today after venturing over here to post my pub query, and was intrigued because of the title and fact it was started by the resident misery (sorry "realist"icon_wink.gif from Saints on the Warrington board.

I've just read the whole thing and it's great.

I hope your players are as enthusiastic about Saturday as your fans are. I doubt it mind.

I would like to agree with you but sadly I have a feeling that once Briers retires Warrington will slip down somewhat because however much people find it hard to accept, Briers is a top class player who has been central to our success in recent years, and when you take him out of the side, there isn't really anybody around that can replace him unless we can land one of the top NRL halfbacks.

Yes Briers was an inconsistent player earlier in his career, when he emerged at similar time to the likes of Cooke, Horne, Thorman, Orr etc, those guys were rated above him particularly in the international pecking order. But where all those guys faded once they got past their mid 20s, Briers improved every year. Take Briers from 2006 onwards and you have a very consistent performer who sets up a lot of tries, his attacking kicking game is first class - look at the try records of guys like Fa'afili, King and Hicks that are targets for kicks. Also his passing and distribution is excellent, he's not just an 'organiser' player that can move a team around the field, there's lots of players can do that, Briers puts on a lot of money balls close to the opposition line that puts someone through the defence.

If Briers had signed for Saints after Long retired I have no doubt Saints would have won a couple of trophies since then, and we would not have won any.

Hard to disagree with that really. If we'd had Briers and Smith instead of you the last few years then I reckon we'd be looking forward to winning our 3rd or 4th successive GF rather than dreading the inevitable prospect of losing our 6th instead The lack of younger players like Briers in our game now is the reason why we had to gamble our entire future on Eastmond...

I just have a feeling fate is going to do you a favour, and as underdogs warrington will [ifinally[/i make their maiden grand final appearence.

You'll see what a massive benefit the defeat is when you go into next years playoffs.

But then that's just my gut instinct. It could very easily be saints running out at old trafford for what will (imo) be another inevitable defeat.

My gut instinct is different.

I think the winners of this Saints v Warrington match will win at OT, I have a sneaking suspicion that it's going to be Saints.

You guys are just traumatised by losing there every year so you are writing yourselves off unnecessarily but I see Saints as a bigger obstacle than Leeds or Wigan. I think if we get past Saints and make the GF then we can beat either Leeds or Wigan at OT, thats not to say I'd take them lightly or be surprised if they won....just I think we have the edge over those sides. Not sure if we have the edge over Saints.

Some people saying if we get to OT then we can't beat Leeds or Wigan not for the psychological factor but because we don't have the team, surely we do if we get there the last 3 teams we would of beat would be Wigan, Wire, Wire.
As for getting over the 'hoodoo' or whatever you are only going to do that by getting to grand finals and having another go if we have years off we still haven't won a final and therefore the thought of losing is still there

Even though it's been 6 years since we won at OT, it still feels like these losses are just a blip, and that normal service will soon be resumed. All the success we had in the first half of the 2000s has made us a little bit entitled I'm afraid, which makes losing in finals harder to take for us than for teams not used to the big games.

this about sums it up for me