Fairplay to you saying that, respect, not many fans can say things like that about Wigan. I think we would have an average around 18-20,000 had we played like saints for the last 2 years.

Hull fans are the same really we and them have had poor teams for some years now, not performing on the field but both doing it right off the field in terms of fans.

I think the fans showed their metal when we nearly got relegated a couple of years back yet our crowds went up in the process to cheer and help the side avoid relegation.

Unfortunatly they've dropped a touch this year due to the fact that people are bored of being mid table.

We really do need to progress the side now.

That turned out to be a great year for that reason. I was so proud of all our fans that year. The Leeds away game was amazing. Even the west stand stood up singing that season. The atmosphere has been the worst in super league this year. We really needed to kick on from that relegation year but we have not quite delivered since. Fans are starting to lose patience and not going to games, crowds are on the way down. If it carries on we will start seeing crowds of below 10,000 again. We should be averaging 16,000 at least. IL said a figure like 20,000 to be averaging in 5 years but thats not gonna happen.

If after having your fingers burned with Fielden you don't drive a stake through the heart of the "If you're good enough you're old enough" mantra on sight you deserve everything you get.

Continental football coaches (not the English let's-go-out-on-the-lash-for-team-bonding failures) who listen to the advice of sports scientists have long understood that you can't dump a mature pro's workload on a kid. It kills them.

Yep.........Faz and Edwards and Robinson turned out to be rubbish didn't they?

Every kid that ever comes into a first team before the age of 20 doesn't always end up in a heap come their late 20's but i do get your point.

Unless your a physical freak like an Inglis or Folau any young kid will need resting every so often but Noble doesn't do 'rests', he does 'dropping' or more to the point leaving any kid out however well they've played so he doesn't put a more senior players noce out of joint.

That is what we lack in this country we do not produce players like this.

Pick out the best we have brought through in this country recnetly, Roby, Graham and Burgess, they do not even begin to compare to Inglis and Folau.

Science quakes in its boots.

I think the problem in this country is that the real physically talented kids like Inglis or Folau go into other sports like Football or Atheltics.

Well, the former are forwards whilst the latter are backs. It would help if you compared like for like. Besides, the premier athletic talent will almost always gravitate to football where the money is.

Correct. In Oz League and Ozzie rules are joint top dog, in England League is behind Football, tennis, Union, and probably cricket as well.

I can't imagine tennis being ahead of League. Since the municipal courts were choked to death by underfunding in the 80s and 90s, tennis has retreated mainly behind the walls of expensive clubs.

I'm pretty sure league more than holds its own with cricket, but comes in behind union.