[/code
Couldn't agree any less to be honest, we'll be in the top 3.

I just can't call it. Mind you I would never have guessed how we'd get on last season.
Several experts believe that we have recruited well & that we can't possibly do so badly again.

You won't be alone...in a few weeks when everybody's finishing off their Christmas booze, half this forum will be predicting a record breaking winning season.

There will be promo articles in the WG from the new signings saying they've come here to win things and the set up here is as professional as anything they've seen in the NRL.

KF will be saying our ambition is to be the biggest sporting brand in the world.

We'll have stories from pre season camp where they ran up and down the Brecon Beacons while hunted by the SAS and they were so badass the SAS couldn't keep up with them.

Darryl Powell will do some earnest Q&A at a fans forum and everybody will conclude it was actually Mike Cooper who caused all the problems last year and now we're destined for greatness.

As the song goes "just like the last one...."

The Russell signing is disappointing, in that it shows little faith in our academy system providing cover on the wing.
I'd have rather seen the money spent on rewarding some of the younger lads in the squad, or on the fringes of it.

For me, this is yet another panic buy, and it's frustrating that were continuing down the same path of such desperate purchases.

‘November spawned a monster’, maybe Moz?

I’m liking what I hear from McGuire. Could be really important signing for our younger players. https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... g-signing/

I’m liking what I hear from McGuire. Could be really important signing for our younger players. https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... g-signing/

Quote Kevin Turvey="Kevin Turvey"I’m liking what I hear from McGuire. Could be really important signing for our younger players. https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... g-signing/'" An interesting read and agree that he's saying the right things.

Quote Kevin Turvey="Kevin Turvey"I’m liking what I hear from McGuire. Could be really important signing for our younger players. https://www.warringtonguardian.co.uk/ne ... g-signing/'" An interesting read and agree that he's saying the right things.

Not undermining the Academy in any way…as has been said from the forum he is here in a low contract. His experience will help the young lads not hinder them; him playing in the Reserves alongside the youngsters will be a huge boost to them and if he is needed in the first team then it will be on merit

An outbreak of common sense, thanks!

I watched several reserve games last year and the gulf between their matches & super league looked massive. I understand the clamour to give youngsters a chance but many are just not ready physically. You can see why we lend young players out to Championship sides we need to somehow bridge the gap.

I don't think we have a SL club that can put out two full teams, so the title of 'Reserves' is a bit of a misnomer (officially only Dan Brewin and Luke Thomas were our only Reserves last year). So if you followed the Reserve games you would see that three quarters of the team were in fact our U19's, and some of those were not even in their final year. So the idea appears to have been to provide a challenge to those Academy players who need more experience than an U19 game can provide. I suspect that the format will have been viewed largely as a success, but as Smithy points out there is certainly a significant gap in the physicality of the SL game and U19's. I guess there is no easy way to avoid that if you want to expose and up and coming youngster. Not sure that games in the Championship is the answer either as from what I see it is played a bit slower, but its just as rough.

Just to mention also, I think all but two of the newly promoted Scholarship players got a game in the Reserves and Jake Thewliss played a lot of matches (and featured in the Academy Roses games). He seemed to start the season looking very lively, and it may be just my imagination but seemed to be pretty jaded towards the end of the season. The coaches will know far better than me, but this may also be the downside of asking a junior to step up a level (or two).

Some interesting comments, but I still think with Russell that were looking to the past, rather than to the future.