How did we fail?

We didn't really fail. We came up against a great Leeds team still in its era of long dominance, played them in 3 finals and won 2, lost 1. In 2013 we had bad luck in a final when we lost 2 key players to injury and had to totally reorganise the back line. If Ratchford and Monaghan hadn't got injured, its pretty likely we'd have won that game and the whole way that era was viewed would be very different. The team was good enough and well coached enough to win a Grand Final it just had freak bad luck on the day.

If that team from 2009 to 2013 had come round 5-10 years later, it would have cashed in on the lack of other good teams, could well have seen 3 or 4 Grand Final wins. Imagine adding Inglis to them.

Thanks Sally, I’m aware of all those factors, but that pack!

I think that Paul Wood is missing from that formidable pack selection!

All this misty eyed nostalgia over some bang average players . Morley spent his best years in Australia, Monaghan and Clark are in the world class bracket, Carvell, Harrison, L.Anderson, Westwood, Hill and Cooper are all just run of the mill/good Super League players.

On the balance of things Warrington should be on two or three Grand Final wins by now. You've been in that Saints/Leeds/Wigan category overall and with you and only you spending big at the moment there is a level of inevitability about it. Only the mental hurdle of winning the first one is stopping you now. It'll be interesting to see if it's Price that does it or whether a new coach is the final missing piece.

Unfortunately no matter how great we think our squad has been, we’ve always been at least a prop under done.
The pattern is repeated season on season. Splashing money on high profile backs and constantly overlooking the golden rule... forwards win games, backs decide by how much.

It may well be factually incorrect. But there aren't many clubs using all the allowances and you seem to be. I don't recall Saints or Wigan making any use of the Union exemption for example. You also have 3 players that must be in the top 5 earners in Super League in Austin, Widdop and Inglis, with the other two being SBW and Leutele from Toronto.

Are the actual total player salaries published anywhere?

Saints and Wigan haven't used the union exemption, simply because they haven't signed a union player since that rule came in. In fact, Burrell has been the only notable union convert (bar that "whopper" forward that Wigan bought... wasn't that him involved in a golf buggy incident) since union went professional (iirc).
Oh, and I don't recall Wire breaking salary cap allowances, unlike two certain teams [sizewink[/size

[code][/code]
I don't think they are published anywhere as a mans wage is private, i genuinely don't think Inglis will be on a MASSIVE wage. BMM is on a big wage but not Marquee level and i think that will be a near enough swap. You also have the fact Inglis wants to play again after taking a break physically and mentally. Theres the attraction of playing in a new comp, in a difderent part of the world, where he has the chance to travel around (barring Covid) so there's alot to offer other than just a mega wage.
Bryson Goodwin and Jason clark travelled/travels all over Europe as it's close and not something Aussie players can do really. I genuinely don't think he's come over for a pay day as if he had put his hand up to play in the NRL next year he would get a bigger wage than over here.

Wigan did sign Gareth Thomas just after he came out of the closet. Whatever happened to the film that they were going to make?

In regards to the NRL or the best teams in Super League, not particularly highly as the standards have dropped dramatically. But when you compare them to the current SL sides, you're doing very well to have all the players you do for the money you are paying. GI, if he's even a fraction of his former self will be the best in SL next season, D Clark is world class. Ratchford, Charnley, Austin, Widdop, Hill, Cooper, Hughes, BMM, Philbin, Lineham, Currie, J Clark for me all fall into that category of good/very good Super League players and likely to be on big money, but not world class individually. A lot of trash still kicking about though with the likes of Akauolo, Mamo, Patton, Gelling, Burrell etc. Ashton a potential superstar and NRL bound if he develops.

I think this season would have ended up with Saints top and Warrington second had a normal season ensued, with the caveat that our coach may well be a dud and we might have been having a terrible season by now. In terms of the quality of players I'd still put Saints over Warrington (We walked Super League last season) but with the gap slashed due to Holbrook leaving, with Wigan and Cas making up the top four. You could well have beaten us at OT.

Next season if you just add Inglis and replace BMM with an equivalent or better you could well swap places with us. We've got 5 forwards out of contract, so a lot will depend on what is available and whether any of them stay. Rumours of LMS to London, Ashworth to Cas, Peyroux to the NRL, Amor to Wakefield and Taia retiring. I'm not sure if it'll be a difficult time to persuade players to move clubs given the uncertainty the virus has created, or whether there will be clubs looking to cut wages and a wave of players resisting that and looking to move.

So the forwards mentioned earlier are nothing to write home about and you raise the fact that next season you will possibly lose LMS never more than adequate albeit a world class wind up merchant, Ashworth (who?), Amor (1.5 decent seasons) Peyroux (slagged off by your own fans for most of his time with you).
Thompson obviously will be a big loss and Roby clearly in decline and will need to be replaced at great expense if at all. Judging by the early part of the season Woolfe may be casting his eye over WWE for future recruits. Your continuing concern over the Wire remains touching though.