shentons there for the long haul,monaghan will be back home as soon as someone shouts 'here boy'

monaghan is world class though. shenton is... quick.

True, but shenton's got a few years to carry on developing. What is he - 24?

Monoghan will be a great signing for whoever gets him. I'm looking forward to seeing him in SuperLeague.

Shenton looked pretty classy against the World Champions and eventual tournament winners - despite playing with an ankle ligament injury for most of the game.

Correct, it's a great opportunity for someone, a bit like the Saints signing of Jamie Lyon, and Catalan signing Greg Bird, a very good player becoming unexpectedly available.

He's nowhere near the class of either of those players in their respective positions IMO.

He's never really impressed me when I've seen him play, I wouldn't be overly excited if he came to Saints.

Sign him up, he's top dog.

..if a little rrruff around the edges

To Wire via Cas.
[urlhttp://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/nrl/joel-monaghans-future-revealed/story-e6frep5x-1225958752098[/url

At least he'll get the brunt of mickey taking at Cas with the added advantage of the home support seeing nothing wrong with lewd acts on animals

Whether is dog grooming or pig shooting, good to see a player of his calibre in SL.

Wires will have Atkins, King, Bridge and Monaghan all vying for centre spots in 2012. Unless that means the end of two out of those four?

King by most accounts will be back in Aus

Monaghan should be thought of as a direct replacement for King IMO. Bridge isn't anything special and Atkins could easily moved to the wing where Hicks will be leaving.

If this is confirmed it once again shows the difference in ambition amongst the SL clubs at the moment. Clubs like Warrington and Wigan seem hell beant on winning, whereas the likes of Saints and Leeds don't seem particularly focused in what they are doing.

Saints seem to be economising and not caring if we win and Leeds seem happy with their run of success and look happy to sit back and watch it unfold for a year or two.

Saints have an engrained ambition to turn out a team of 17 home grown players. They have to be applauded for the work they are doing with the local amateur clubs to bring through the next generation, but even so, I do accept there is a balancing act.

Not very often that a local amateur side will produce a TP or Jamie Lyon is it.

Is this the ambitious Warrington that couldn't beat us again last year and that we knocked out of the play-offs?

They're lucky they haven't drawn us in the cup for 2 years.

I'll get more pleasure out of watching British players like Shenton and Wheeler in the centres than some Aussie who's only over here because he's a drunken buffoon. He's not even that good anyway, you make him sound like a Gasnier or a Lyon when he's just another Matt King.

admittedly something happens when wire play Saints. It is sad. Will probably change really soon.

As someone mentions Wire are developing and are obsessed with winning, while to be blunt, Saints are stagnating.

Wire have won back-to-back Challenge cups
Saints have won nothing for 3 years (I think)

It is sad and has been trotted out by every wire fan since August but it is true.

What happens when 3 weeks into the season wire has destroyed saints at Widnes. or even just won.

It will really ram it home.

I don't think meeting saints in Wire's cup run would have changed the outcome of final at all, but that is just me.

To put it bluntly - you had the best injury record of any top side last season, we had the worst, and we still finished above you and beat you three times.

With 2 fit half backs and 2 more props next season, I don't see that changing. Better start praying that Pryce/Estmond/Perry miss the first month of the season chap.

Shocking! Who'd have called that first?

:4ef8zchx

i am not saying saints didn't have the worst. but wire didn't have the best. Missing a great centre for most of the year and our play maker too isn;t great.

i have said about the wire hoodoo. It won't last forever though

and





yeah that last game of the year where Wire fielded some of the reserves at quins while saints ahd to fight tooth and nail and

a few bent rules against cas. Wire could have probably nothed up a cricket score against quins.

The point is Wire have gone from mid tbale nothing to

back-to-back challenge cups.

Saints have gone from winning everything to losing 4 grand finals on the bounce. (although i can't say for sure they were in the last one... I never saw them)



Stagnating? How on earth do you get that impression?

Only insofar as if Saints haven't been able to raise a player in a particular position who is of the right standard then Saints should look elsewhere to fill that position, but primarily within England and only if an English player can't be found, then from down under.

I'd love Saints to be the first club to field 17 home growns of the right standard to compete at the highest level in Superleague. That would be fantastic.

Saints will bounce back strong, i think the stadium has just become an unwanted distraction off the field.

The team i think are on their way down are Leeds BM & JL as coaches ? 5th place at best for the Rhinos.

Although we have had 2 trophy winning season i still think we are off for another season or two BUT i think there will be a more consistent Warrington over the years.

I think you'll find you did. Check the stats for amount of players used, Warrington used the least.



That's not our fault you decided to rest a few. Maybe it's a lesson learnt as it backfired dramatically for you and we whooped you in round one.



I love the blind hope Wire fans have each year.

I heard similar things when Sculthorpe left, when Long left, now that Cunningham has left. Saints are finished, bla bla bla. The fact is, when we lose our best players we replace them or produce someone from our academy with excellent ability and potential. Saints are a well managed club and whilst we aren't winning things right now, we're not far off and with a new coach and new stadium / training facility to come our side will only get stronger.

It's difficult to judge Simmons yet, and I could be wrong on this, but I've got a feeling he'll get an extra gear out of us that Potter couldn't manage, which could make a big difference. I'm hoping we'll get more luck on the injury front.

Joel Monaghan... Castleford 2011... then onto Warrington for 2012 onwards