I'm with you on this Wires71. It amazes me when people moan, yes that's right moan about our opposition being poor and the Wigan, Saints games and a few others aren't the same as we are now expected to win. Long may this rich vein of form continue. Let's enjoy and savour it.

Good for you guys, as clubs i think our 2 have grown together and hopefully we wont be far off a 'big' one ourselves, would be great to see Fartown and Wire as the top 2 teams in the next few years ...best of luck on Saturday guys.

I think back just 11 years, that horrible 2002 season, and wonder how the hell we came so far in a fairly short amount of time.

I see Huddersfield as being two or three years behind ourselves. With Wigan losing Tomkins, Leeds possibly starting to decline and ourselves losing some major players this season and next, I can see Huddersfield becoming the team to beat over the next year or so.

Regarding where we have come from, was only chatting about this the other day. Back in the 'dark days' at Wilderspool (which were not that long ago) we could only dream of where we are now. Everyone involved deserves all our thanks.

Agree entirely with the OP. But I won't take much comfort from it if we lose to that shower next week.

I would have happily swapped our dark days for yours a few years ago

the status quo will always change in sports ( unless you count premiership football) top clubs will come and go and make way for new ones, hopefully we can soon see 5/6 or even more clubs capable of challenging for the major honours.

good luck on Saturday, you guys deserve it

Many thanks to all you Fartowners, my new number 2 team

One of the things that the younger supporters often don't realise is that they are watching something special here, and the success we're having now is almost unparalleled in our history.
That's why I can't understand why more speccies didn't turn up at the semi or the are moans about the price being not in the season ticket.

After many years of watching our teams ambition not being backed up by skill, organization or consistency we've no got all three.

Simon Moran and Tony Smith - take a bow.

As a 'medium term' supporter (25 years) would the older generation rate Adrian Morley and Tony Smith as our most successful Captain/Coach combo? Certainly in my viewing time they are, but granted not a lot to shout about in my era until them.

Oh and back to topic... Bloody love every second of this group of players! It's success but it's entertaining rugby at the same time. Enjoy it, take it all in, as the tide will change one day, and we will fall from grace, and back down to those troubling times. So I intend to take as many memories of this era with me!

Smith is still a couple of trophys short of Alex Murphy's era.

Good thread this, so some very humbling posts.

Wasn't so interested in RL in the 70's (more soccer - Everton), but it's not just Coach / Captain that's key.

I think Brian Johnson was a good coach but never had the resources that Tony Smith has - from money to training facilities to backroom infrastructure, but the game was generally different then.

Lord Tony inherited a good side who were short on confidence. He came in and changed a lot of little things - even how to hold the ball (and this to 'test' level players!) and where to stand when kicking off !

That didn't go down too well with some (Rauhihi included) but this had an almost immediate impact.

The key relationship is Moran and Smith for me.
They get on. End of.
Long may that be so - and we'll keep having success.

The transformation towards where we are today IMO started during the Peter Deakin years. He led the vision for the club and got the fans and business backing involved, up steps Simon Moran and plans were in place. Success like we current experience hasn't happened overnight and even though behind the scenes we were winning various awards it wan't until TS arrived and changed the so called 'culture' of the players that we saw the start of on field success.

As far as is TS the best coach we have had, that is a difficult one. IMO and during the time since I have supported the Wire since our successful period in the mid 70s I would say yes. The game is different now compared to the 7 or 8 years Murphy was coach and he had the Ossie Davis money. Murph was both a special players and coach. There were a lot more trophies available in the 70s and the Wire won a number of the knock out competitons but we fell short with the Championship/Division 1 winners and only won the one coverted Challenge Cup, which was the biggie in those days. Then there was the succesful era of the 50s when Ces Mountford was in charge. The older geneation can give their opinions on that time.

I enjoyed the Brian Johnson era even though we again fell short with the big titles but the style of rugby was enjoyable and we had some exciting players in out team. It was a sad end to his time at the Wire unfortunately.

Anyway players come and go and hopefully TS/SM and the senior players in the team have left a legacy for the future of the club and long may this continue.

Good luck to the team in the final, lets bring that trophy to the hj.

Tony Smith came in, he hasn't gotten too close to the team like Paul Cullen was their mate, Tony Smith ain't.

Tony Smith is responsible for player retention and recruitment thanks to Simon Moran.
Paul Cullen was the coach of who Simon Moran wanted, not who Paul Cullen himself wanted.