So an international coach knows a player as well as a domestic coach? Who works with him most days of the year compared to 3 or 4 weeks when he's joined with 25 other randoms?

And for what its worth, whens Eastwoods played this year after injuries I think he's been quality. He was the sole reason why Leeds won at the DW in the playoffs.

Saints are on the slide - you cant argue against it. The trophies are simply not coming in and the loss of Cunningham is beyond words. I'm not knocking Saints, they have done everything right in rugby league for years but wigan will now dominate. Leeds's squad is not what it was (very fortunate to grab top 4) and I agree that when he was on his game that Eastwood was superb and therefore a loss. Sinfield and Mcguire can't carry the loiners for ever and Senior aint getting any younger.

Agree completely.

we can win it, and thats being realistic. we now have a goal kicker so theres no excuses

I think you're confusing a pathetic showing by Saints at the Grand Final with being on the slide. We had three other pathetic showings at the Grand Final, but still managed to win two Challenge Cups and two League Leaders Shields in that time - in consecutive years.

Although I'm a Saints fan and so I'm not going to be objective, I think we did very well to make it to the Grand Final at all given the degree and persistence of injuries we had all season. That achievement certainly went beyond any Saints' fan's hopes for 2010 even though it ended in the usual disappointment (although we did actually win one in 2006!). And to get there without our first choice halfbacks and indeed just one halfback in Matty Smith in the playoffs, I think says something other than we are on the slide, don't you? Yes, we have lost Cunningham, but we will get over it, just as we got over losing all our other elder statesmen. We will just play differently and other players will step up.

As for Warrington, I don't see why they can't be aiming for the top next year. You won't have Cunningham or Longy to haunt you at Saints so I would imagine the hoodoo will finally topple and then you won't have any psychological barriers to reaching the top.

And just because Wigan won the Grand Final doesn't mean to say they will dominate! They might, but it isn't by any means automatic.

Personally i don't think that you have got over losing some of the players from your glory era, Talua has never really been replaced, Gilmore`s pace and tries on the fringes havn't really been replaced, Sean Long hasn't really been replaced either. Don't say that Kyle Eastmond has replaced him lol, you don't have a general in the half backs to lead you round the pitch anymore.

Eastmond is a runner and a free spirit, he's certainly not a player that takes you round the pitch like Long did and neither is Pryce. Sculthorpe is another player thats not been replaced, Flannery is no Sculthorpe and not even close.

So i'm not really sure how you can say that you have got over losing all your elder statesmen as you put it, recent history and the lack of silverware says you havn't got over losing the quality players above.

Saints may not be what they were five or six years ago but they will top Wire in the League and the Cup next year.
Wire have 10 or 11 out of their first 17 over 30 and during the next three years will have to replace them all.
At some point next season one of those players, or more, will find out it's a season too far. Smith needs to get his recruitment on track.

1 Wigan,
2 Saints,
3 Hudds,
4 Wire/Leeds

........2 of the most promising youngsters signed up for big money, Myler & Atkins, youngsters coming through, Riley, Harrison, various others, Eastmond being signed when Briers retires....the future is a lot brighter than you believe....

You're right they weren't. Well done.
[sizeI'm not a wire fan[/size

i don't recall the pies at wembley this year either! goodness it must be hard for you getting through the day!

Warrington's season depends on injuries, I think you can admit that you don't have the squad quality in depth to deal with the amount of injuries that the other top 4 teams have had this year and still win a trophy. Most of you 1-13 being over 30 does not help either.

We saw Veteran players such as Peacock and Gidley fade massively this year, How long can Briers, Morley, Hodgson, Solomona, King, Hicks etc continue to play at the level they have been for Warrington?

I still rate your 1-17 up with the best, the coaches and conditioners will have their work cut out to keep them fit IMO.

This business about Warrington being an ageing side is being overplayed by other fans. Look at Briers, he's a better player now than he was a few years ago when other clubs fans were clamouring for him to be in the GB side ahead of Long and McGuire. Four years ago when we signed Morley, other clubs fans confidently told us that we had been 'done' by offering him a four year deal, everyone else wanted him but only on a two year deal so they said we were welcome to him because he was past his best and so on, at the end of his first season he was GB's best player in the Test series, then in his 3rd and 4th seasons he was shortlisted for MoS and lifted 2 Challenge Cups.

Over the next few years some of these players will retire (or sign for other clubs, which will then be amusing to see their fans telling us how they are 'still top players') so we will have to recruit new players but that's nothing out of the ordinary, you get the same problems if you have a young squad again because of the salary cap.....players who signed 2/3 year contracts a couple of years ago on £30k a year (say) when they were bright young talents, now come to renegotiation time, have union clubs chasing them and are internationals, so now they command salaries of £90-100k and you can't fit them all in under the cap. Teams like Leeds, Bradford and Saints have faced this in the past.

Always be careful of writing off older players, we wrote off Gleeson and Fielden and then thought it was hilarious when Wigan signed Deacon as well.....they had the last laugh.

All these Wigan fans are right. Our team is made up of old age cripples with brittle bones. We will never ever end up near the top of a table of teams who suffered least injuries.

We need some young kids who are able to play through injuries and recover quickly, like that Mossop from Wigan and Eastmond from Saints.

Have you been lucky with injuries this year?

Wigan too, have been lucky in respect to key players, but we've had our fair share of injuries.

No we have not been lucky. We have targeted our recruitment on players mature enough to look after themselves away from the pitch and who are professional enough to manage injuries so they can play through them.

It appears the better we get at minimising injuries the luckier we get with injuries.