May i suggest a requirement for a new centre for the 2014 season...

no

Nope

I don't get this argument that it costs more to bring players in from outside than it does to bring them through your academy. It's only relevant if you are talking transfer fees - which to be fair, Simon Moran has paid for us for some players, but others just signed on free transfers when out of contract.

Remember a couple of years ago Stefan Ratchford came through the ranks at Salford and they had to offer him "the best contract in Salford's history" and he still didn't stay, he moved to us. What would it have cost Salford to keep him? Was that sustainable?

Sam Tomkins has come through the ranks at Wigan but we keep hearing how Wigan won't be able to compete with what he can get offered in the NRL/RU etc? Producing players of Tomkins' quality is obviously not sustainable for Wigan unless they can keep him.

Being sustainable isn't about how many top young players you produce, its about the club being self sustaining financially with good gates, merchandising, sponsorship and a business plan. If you have good players coming through but don't have that then you can just admire them playing in other clubs jerseys like we did Harris and Sculthorpe, and Wakefield did Westwood and Ellis etc.

So if we are dependent on Simon Moran pumping money in and the club is not able to generate its own revenues, thats a problem, no matter whether we have the best youth system in rugby league, they aren't staying around Warrington.

Played for Crosfields too .

It gets to a point sometimes when you feel that each club likes to try a take the best youngsters from their neighbours, we take good Wigan lads, Wigan take good Warrington lads etc etc, then we supporters are shouting why has he gone there and vice versa. Its just the way it is. No club can or will develop a whole team through the ranks and make a crack team from them you have to strengthen with experienced heads. On another note three people have spoke to me since Sunday regarding Yawnion and one of our centres!

I think there may be a spot available come the end of the year.

Remember this post come September/October time.

Ryan Atkins to Gloucester RFC.

[iBeing sustainable isn't about how many top young players you produce, its about the club being self sustaining financially with good gates, merchandising, sponsorship and a business plan. If you have good players coming through but don't have that then you can just admire them playing in other clubs jerseys like we did Harris and Sculthorpe, and Wakefield did Westwood and Ellis etc.

So if we are dependent on Simon Moran pumping money in and the club is not able to generate its own revenues, thats a problem, no matter whether we have the best youth system in rugby league, they aren't staying around Warrington.'"

Really

Are Leeds and Wigan really this far ahead of us in terms of having a juggernaut of young players ready to come in whilst we don't....didn't we win the Academy last year?

Is there any truth regarding Ryan Atkins to Union? I can see if he gets a decent wage then his partner won't have to work so she can look after their child etc. I hope it's not true ad he stays at Warrington. (Sorry to Ryan's partner)

Well Wigan certainly are doing well with their youngsters this year, and have some top class youngsters coming through the U19's. Leeds are reported to have a strict pay band system for their players, which they can impose because players wan't to sign up with a successful team. Leeds are a magnet for young ambitious kids. So for different reasons, I would view both these two as a major threat now that we can not get Oz stars.

The U20's competition sieves out the likely SL players and championship standard players. We need 'top 4' level SL players which is another big step up.

Atkins can probably double his money in Union, or at least add around £50k-£100k to his income. He'd be nuts to turn that down. It's like when Fozzard was with us - he tripled his money when he went to Saints - as confirmed by Cullen on GMR one year.

I've supported Warrington all my life. I went to my first game over 25 years ago. But if I was a player, and the chance came to set myself up financially, I'd go and play Union in a heartbeat. It's a short, brutal career and they need to extract every last penny out of it. If this rumour is true, and he goes, good to luck to him. Everyone is important - no-one is necessary; we'll find a replacement.

This is true, but they still had to get Matty Smith and Blake Green to replace Thomas Leuluai and Brett Finch.