inernet warrior hey , insultive little goon

Depends how you define "2 season wonder".

I don't think we will fall away and go back to our old ways struggling to make the playoffs. But it is perfectly possible that those two Challenge Cups are the only trophies we will win under Tony Smith. I just think that what is more or less certain is we will be a strong consistent team, consistently up there challenging for trophies, even if we aren't winning them, and before TS came we were never challenging for trophies (well not since 94).

The interesting bit will be how our fans react. You would expect most of them to be realistic and be pleased that we are contenders, and accept that we can't win every year, but I reckon we will start hearing the question "has TS taken us as far as he can?" appearing on this forum before long.

In fact I can predict now the exact moment that thread will appear. If we haven't already won the Challenge Cup by then, it will be posted on here when (if) we get knocked out of the playoffs this year. Even if we've finished in the top 2, if we have a trophyless season, and all the Wigan/Saints fans will come on here creaming with excitement about us getting knocked out of the playoffs, there will be grumbles on here about Smith's signings, the players who haven't progressed, and so on, and some bright spark will reckon that we need a new coach to help us go to the next step.

Wouldnt finishing second but not winning the Challenge Cup.Be seen as successful season?.Have we have set the bar to high,for what we would see as a successful season.Do some fans really expect us to do a clean sweep on the trophies every season.

This is the key point. Whilst every individual fan may dream of his club sweeping the board season-after-season, this type of domination only damages the sport. Much better to have at least half-a-dozen, and hopefully more, clubs genuinely competing for the two trophies on offer each year. Gates will be higher, sponsorship and TV money higher, standards higher.

The major difference now is that we go to matches more in expectation than hope, rather than the other way round. Hence the greater disappointment when we lose.

Well said fella.