Back onto the original topic. I wasn't at the game last night but I'm not too worried about our season. We had 2 half-backs missing which would have really knocked our creativity. I'm not using this as an excuse buy the way. We got beat, end of.

We seem to cope with injuries to our backs and forwards very well as we have good strength in depth. Where we struggle is if we have a halfback out. If Briers or Monaghan don't play we struggle to create things. We have proven this season that we can get away without this creativity against lesser teams but it hurts us against the big boys.

It seems like you, saints and Leeds cope better with a key half-back missing but I'd be interested to know how these teams have got on if at any point this season Eastmond, Tompkins or McGuire have not played.

Some opposition fans claim McGuire is nothing but a support player

Burrow did not play on friday.

you don't win the league three times on the spin with your stand off as nothing more than a support player!

We have been told for years by Stains fans that Shaun Edwards was nothing more than a good support player - a guy who won more than fifty major medals in his career.

The most encouraging thing about the last few posts ie mcguire and edwardfs being called "support players" and them winning so much as "support players"! Is that we have a young lad who has already been labelled the same! So I'm hoping its an omen that players with the amounts of medals that those two have is an omen for our hopes in the next few years!

Wigan have a great side this year, as do warrington! Yet wigan fans claiming that we haven't turned up against the big boys! I agree with us not turning up against leeds or saints yet we only lost to you boys by 2 points and big dave solomona couldn't ground the ball in the last minute! So just think if we had stopped your winning streak there if dave grounded the ball it could be a whole different story!

My point is that we definately turned up against wigan and you just scraped a win! In my opinion the only fair result for that game would have been a draw!

In regards to the leeds match it was obvious that we struggled without myler but especially without monghan who is one of if not the best 9 in super league! A man who along with lockers and pat must be a top contender for man of steel so far!

The season is a long one and I am sooo happy with how we have done so far! My only hope is that wigan have a blip in form and we can. Capitalise on it the way you have when us and saints have made brain farts this year! Long may the great north dominate the top of the league!

If's and buts are no good at all, you get two points if you win by 1 or 100. We were 16-4 down at half time iirc and we came back to win away from home. Theres no point turning up so to speak if you are going to lose.

Most sense I've seen spoken by a Warrington fan, in, well, ever actually.

You are right, you were unlucky to lose agianst us, you had a couple of chances and you just didn't take them, Solomona was unlucky to drop that ball before the line, but you make your own luck, and to come back from 16-4 (I think) down and the HJ was a great effort on our part, so unlucky for losing but it's not something that's going to make me think you deserve to be anywhere above where you are at the minute.

I wouldn't say that either Wire or Wigan had great sides this year, the Soopah Doopah League is really mediocre at the moment.

You do have a point about the defeat to Wigan in that you definitely turned up and after that game I thought Wire would be the biggest threat to Wigan this season. Since then though you've lost your way a bit and I'd have to say I'm more worried about Stains and possibly even Leeds now. You're right though that the season is a long one and who knows how things might look in a month or two...

thanks you! i understand your point too. in that it could have happened but it didnt and yes your right... i have no grudge in losign that game to you as it was a great game, its just a couple of your fans seem to beleive that you hammered us...yes you won and deservedly so as that was the result and nothing i say can change it. i feel that every team is where they are right now only on merit and could warrington turn up in other big games other than the wigan one, then it could be warrington in 1st place and wigan on the same points just tightly behind us in second( hey a man can dream cant he).



that was something i was trying to say aswell, in that maybe if we hadnt lost to you, we would have had a bit more confidence going into the games against leeds and saints, as we would have already proved we can hang with the big boys - your team obviously being the leagues pace setters this year- and i agree that maybe the standard of the league isnt at its best, but the two squads that our teams have assembled are both very talented for this league...maybe great was the wrong word,, good will have to do lol!

I don't think any Wigan fan really thinks we battered you. It's just the natural response when some of the more annoying Wire fans come on here and keep spouting about the challenge cup last year. That game showed us that we are a completely changed team this year, but also that you are going to push us all the way.

agreed mate, some wire fans come on here and make us all seem stupid and like we have no knowledge of the game and for that i apologise!

The thing with Warrington so far this year is that they are winning the games that they are expected to win! Frequently in the past that has not been the case. Also contrary to the views of some they aint "had their s handed to them" by anyone which at the halfway point of the regular season has got to be a big positive.

As I see it they haven't yet had any must win games this season. Since Tony Smith has been coach I would say they have had 4 must win games, 3 in last years CC and one in this years. They have impressively performed in and won all 4.

Personally I'm absolutely delighted with the way things are going for the Wolves this year. I will judge the SP of the new found optimism when the "must win" games come around. Meanwhile I'll enjoy watching Warringtons attacking brand of rugby and the best defence in the league!

I agree with most of the posts there, however the one thing i'd be concerned about from a Warrington point of view is that this year was your big recruitment year, with big signings like Myler and Atkins joining with Solamona. As well as the year before with Monoghan and King etc, whereas Wigan (who are ahead this year already) and Saints (who are matchin you stride for stride) both expected to strengthen in the summer.

For us in particular I expect to see 3 or 4 fringe first team players replaced with 1 or 2 top class players who should instantly become some of the better players at the club. I know next year you have signed Brett Hodgson but will you be able to keep up again next year if all the teams around are improving greatly?

One thing Warrington can't be accused of in recent times is under recruiting.

I expect several ins and outs again for next year none of which will weaken the squad and in fact I expect Warrington to continue to improve both by recruitment and direction!

Whether they will be able to live with Wigan and Saints remains to be seen!!

At the minute I'm looking forward to how the rest of this season unfolds.

I wasn't saying you have under recruited. In fact i'd go as far as saying you have the strongest team on paper due to Leeds' poor season so far, but still with all the positive recruitment you have done the last couple of years you aren't ahead of a few teams who are in a transition stage (arguably Saints will be even more in that with Cunningham et al leaving next year) but we are coming out of that a bit now with the team based on a strong number of quality wiganers.

I think if we could get a top class prop in and perhaps a SH we'd be up there with the strongest squad in the league, we probably already the most depth just lack a bit of quality in the front row.