Top 8 isn't a gimme this year: as has often been said, we have a serious lack of punch up front so we have no go forward, and zero guile behind to even try to make up for it. Making the pay-offs will remain uncertain unless we address at least one, and hopefully both these concerns. For today's Warrington to fluff the play-offs given its resources would be a poor reflection on the management of the club's playing side this season. There's "rebuilding" and there's "getting it badly wrong". It's not even a fine line.

Great to see Coops get a good try for St George at the weekend. How on earth did we let him go?

Agree to a point but teams around us have improved massively this year and we are certainly going through a transition. I would take a season like this if we improve the squad with some big signings next year and the youngsters who have played this year improve too.

Regarding Cooper, when he left this board was full of posts about how we wouldn't miss him, fair play to the lad he has done great so far.

If we had the "£440k" to spend during the close season who would you have signed.
To me the only player that has moved that i would have liked now with Hindsight is Luke Walsh at Saints. Other than that not sure who else was available that moved clubs.

The last half of last season Wood Hill and Cooper were our best front rowers imo.
Never rated Coops as a loose though. He knocked on too many times for my liking.

for what we supposedly need, there was no one.

People were harking on that luke walsh was available, but saints had him tied up from mid season last year, enough time for his form to pick up and the rumours start about him not coming over.

a few people after the wigan game were saying that we weren't caught short by the briers announcement, he retired in november, so we had the majority of the off season to recruit a new halfback from australia. Clearly they dont have a clue about how long it takes to sort something like that out. And at that point virtually no one of any class would be available to pick up.

Hmm. Still lacking a plan B though eh? If we expected Briers to play a full season unscathed then our medical staff were on a different planet, and if we didn't then we should have got cracking and started recruiting a replacement in well in advance as contigency should the worse happen ........... which it did.

And please don't tell me Ratchford, GOB & Myler were the contigency cos Ratchford was clearly being groomed for FB, and GOB was involved in more loans than Wonga.

I have heard from two different sources than we are well under the cap. One said £380,000 although i would be hesitant to trust this guy and another who I know well said £300,000 and I would trust his call.

If we are upto the cap then there are quite a few players earning well above their worth.

Can we refund you for the money for Daz Clark so you've got a few quid more to spend?

Would people have been happy if we would have recruited below standard players that may have been available NO. they would be calling for Smiths head over his recruitment. The club have siad that the quality of player was not available end of. We need to stick with the youth and hope that some come through, if not keep looking for the special player that warrents the big bucks.

Do people seriously believe that we are £300k to £400k under the cap?

At most we'd be Briers' wage less whatever up-grade Russell got for this year plus whoever replaced Briers in the 25 first tier players.

If King was on £600k (source: wigan forum) then Briers must have been on £400k at least

Benji Marshall was released from his contract today. He'd be alright for you lot. Bet you'd get him for £379,999.99 as well.

Well we can't all be as lucky as to have Lance Hohaia in our ranks can we? Just keep dousing your Luke Walsh figurine in holy water and praying he stays fit.

Woh there horsey. It wouldn't be the strangest thing in the world if he ended up with you. There presumably won't be too many NRL sides with loads of cap room sloshing around at this stage of the season,so it could fit.

And from the rumours on our board at the moment it seems Walsh won't be around for too much longer.

Aus $700000 is £387000 so that would put us in the game if the cap mattered, but technically as a union convert, I think he'll be cap exempt, so he's open season for every RL club.