The difference is, Wigan and Leeds generally have a great crop of young players able to come in and fill the squad, and they have a track record of winning Grand Finals with signings that we would consider unknown.

Warrington don't. So reducing the quality of our squad doesn't give us a better chance of winning.

It's a similar argument to the one that used to be levelled at the TS squad - Wigan and Leeds would have long crap spells during the regular season because they knew how to peak at the right time, whereas we wasted our good form during the regular season. By the end of TS time, we had learned to be crap during the regular season but it didn't result in us winning anything.

Perhaps, but those days are changing. Our commitment to youth over the past decade and more is now bearing real fruit. Longstaff and Thewlis are really exciting and Wrench looks an excellent prospect. Sure Walter will enlighten us to more on their way through. These are also adding to established academy products of real quality that have graced our team for a few seasons.

We have been hearing this for years though. It's always "X is really exciting" or "looks an excellent prospect". We heard it about Rhys Evans, Declan Patton, Harvey Livett, Brad Dwyer, even going back 20 years the same was said about Sibbit, Noone, Gleeson, Pickersgill, Hulse. There was always someone on the old Wolfweb site saying "The future's bright, the future's Wire". What they probably mean is, we have some good kids coming through who look great in junior rugby and have good attitudes. That is a different thing from having young players who actually make an impact against SL pros. Wigan, Leeds and Saints regularly bring through players who are difference makers in big games, become internationals, and have NRL clubs chasing them. Our criteria of Academy success is just having a player get a good number of games in our first team.

I wonder if 3 or 4 years down the line these guys that we are hyping up as great Academy prospects now, will end up going to Salford, Widnes or Leigh, along with anguished debates on here about how they were great prospects but were "destroyed by poor coaching" and that Powell "prefers his favourites from Cas" rather than giving young lads a shot.

Regards Thewlis and Longstaff (particularly the latter) do you notice a difference between these two and previous, recent big hopes? I do, despite it being early days. We also have King, Philbin and Cooper as top class academy products. Wigan's current crop does not look impressive, quantity over quality.

We don't know that for sure. Maybe wakey offered him the most cash? Maybe he feels they are building to something?

He has been a bt of a liability but a lot of that has been harsh treatment from the judiciary panel.

There was an interview with Lineham where I definitely gathered Leeds were in the hunt but possibly 3 years was too good to turn down? Purely speculation on my part I hasten to add as I know nobody…

I agree about Linehams harsh treatment by the panel, but he's made his own bed unfortunately and I can't see him getting shown any leniency in the future so that means more missed games.
With that in mind I think it's right to let him go - rather reluctantly as he's a big unit and when he plays does a good job.
But as we have Thewlis and Ashton I'm comfortable with the alternatives.

But - back on Minikin, I'm still not sold on him. He could end up being a Mamo type signing though. You never know.

We are certainly moving in the right direction IN MY OPINION but I am not for one minute claiming to be the font of all knowledge!!!

On Sunday against Wigan, we had six members of the seventeen who have graduated from our Academy; that is not to be sniffed at. Also I would argue that of those six, 3 or 4 were in our best 5 players on the day.

I have repeatedly said on here how good Josh Thewlis is and I stand by my prediction that he will be an England international within the next four years and he will make the full back spot his own once Stef has stepped aside or moved positions. I would have to disagree on an earlier post where Thewlis was described as a ‘stand in’ as he has proved himself to be more than that this season.

I think that Ellis Longstaff and Connor Wrench will get plenty of Super League game time over the next 12–18 months and will then become regulars.

I think that the re-introduction of the Reserves next year will be a massive boost to the youngsters coming through; they will be able to get meaningful game time in a Wire shirt rather than having to go out on loan. Riley Dean is definitely one who springs to mind in this category as well as Eribe Doro, Ellis Robson, Nathan Roebuck, Jacob Gannon and Morgan Burgess.

In the current Academy side there are several who could well breakthrough but I don’t want to put any pressure on them by naming them at this stage, although Josh Thewlis younger brother Jake made a very promising debut in the Academy last Friday night at Hull KR even though he is only 16.

I do get very protective of the young lads as I see them at close quarters and know the dedication that they are putting in; unfortunately, as in all sports, some sadly do not progress but I have very high hopes for several of our current young crop.

I like Minikin. A steady solid winger. Wouldn’t play him at centre any more than I would Charnley. Could play it if desperate.

Many on here have questioned this signing but in reality he is a typical Powell buy. He might not strike you as a star buy but is a good solid honest pro and furthermore is reliable and dependable. Sure he has his faults like many others but deserves our support until such time as he has proven otherwise. My only concern is that he may hold back some of our better youngsters but that will be down to the new management and to the youngsters themselves to compete with him.

That's the way I saw Mamo at the start of the season RD, I don't think it's a perfect fit but with the right attitude it works.

And now I see that Jesse Sene-Lefao is to leave Cas at the end of the season.

rlhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/58487573rl

No mention of retirement, no mention of returning to New Zealand.

Think I read somewhere he was probably off to Salford.

Torn his ACL

Ouch. That's 2 of our new signings out for the majority of 2022, the 'Powell Curse' has followed him over the Pennines.