Come the start of the season it is likely that the following players whom will all be hoping to be playing regular first grade this year will all be sat outside of the first choice 17:

Vinnie Anderson
Chris Riley
Kevin Penny
Simon Grix
John Clarke
Tyrone McCarthy

Whilst the following couple have played a fair bit of first team football and are probably looking to kick on and be playing quite a few first team games:

Matty Blythe
Lee Mitchell

I know its been said many times before but our squad with first team experience and aspirations is as deep, if not deeper, than any other in the league.

With my maths that gives us a squad of 25, wich you would probably find is about the same as every other sl teams playing roster.

And three of them are Challenge Cup winners.

i firmly believe that now we have a squad capable of dealing with injuries and loss of form and the right man in charge to keep everyone happy but everyone on their toes.

Agreed. We have that depth after the 17. Plenty of competition for positions. Smith's had a full pre-season and his full focus is with us afer resigning from England duty. Should make for an exciting upcoming season from a Wire point of view.

On that premise, what do you perceive to be Smith's first choice 17?

I've given team numbers rather than squad numbers for this.

1 Mathers
2 Hicks
3 Bridge
4 King
5 Atkins
6 Briers
7 Myler
8 Morley
9 Monaghan
10 Carvell
11 Anderson L
12 Westwood
13 Harrison

14 Higham
15 Cooper
16 Wood
17 Solomona

As already said, plenty of experience outside the 17 as well. I would like to see Kev Penny really push for the no 2 shirt on the basis that Hicks is likey to leave at the end of the season and McCarthy/Grix to overtake Vinnie in the pecking order for a back row bench spot.

Sorry but for me Matty Blythe & Lee Mitchell are in no way good enough (yet)
not if we are to push on, if the team is bad enough to be able to fit these two in at the moment, then we should expect yet anouther average season

I can't see beyond the following:

1. Mathers
2. Hicks
3. Bridge
4. Atkins
5. King
6. Briers
7. Myler
8. Morley
9. Monaghan
10. Carvell
11. L. Anderson
12. Westwood
13. Harrison

14. Higham
15. Wood
16. Cooper
17. Solomona

Best "Squad" I have seen us have ever.

Pick me any other team's 24th and 25th squad members (not numbers but in order of likely selection) who have as much 1st team experience as these two.

doesn't make them good players, just meens we had no one better at the time, they were given a chance and apart from one or two nice bits of play they have not excelled at all when given a chance, just my oppinion you understand

Hodgson
hodgson
whatuira
wild
cudjoe
brown
robinson
crabtree
faiumu
mason
gilmour
faalogo
grix

finnigan
drew
raleigh
griffin

lunt
lolesi
aspinwall
horne
macgiillvary
mcnally
lawrence
patrick


lunt could easily be starting 9 or drew, apinwall could easily be starting winger or macgillvary, mcnally could easily played 6, 7 or 9, graham horne could play centres or second row as could lolesi, lawrence can play fullback or wing or centre, patrick can play second row or centre..i think hudds have an excellent squad this yr, its a good job reserves cant just be anyone or they would walmk that.

I don't think that will be our starting line up...

But I think the point is that these are probably 24th and 25th players in our squad. If you look at every other squad in SL, you would probably find that most teams are relying on real young inexperienced kids and probably none of them would be wanted by us either.

In a 25 man squad to have these two as probably our weakest players could be a lot worse.

Would you not have Liam Farrell, Shaun Ainscough and Darrell Goulding in your squad?

Not in front of Tyrone McCarthy, Chris Riley and Simon Grix no.

They are equivalent squad places I'd reckon and one of your's has never even played a first team game.

Taking out Wigan's first 17 the remainder of the squad against their equivalent in the Warrington squad are as follows:

Jon Clarke v Michael McIlorum
Vinnie Anderson v Lee Mossop
Chris Riley v Shaun Ainscough
Kevin Penny v Karl Pryce
Simon Grix v Darrell Goulding
Tyrone McCarthy v Liam Farrell
Adam Neal v Eamon O Carroll
Lee Mitchell v Chris Tuson
Matty Blythe v Josh Charnley (?)

I'd go with the Warrington option in 7 out of the 9 instances as far as worth in 2010 Super League goes. What about yourself (and we are talking worth in 2010 not 2012 or beyond).

who???????????

I look at that squad and I honestly think it's the best since I first started watching the Wire in the era of Davies, Bateman et al. If Tony Smith can't turn us into champions I honestly doubt anyone can. We've got everything in place off the pitch, an excellent playing staff and a proven winner as a coach.

I really feel enthusiastic about the new season for the first time in years because although we may not neccessarily find ourselves top and in the Grand Final, injuries permitting I truly expect us to be up there challenging for those places. Leeds and Saints have got the experience and won't be easy to topple but getting right up in the mix is all we can ask for and this squad has my confidence.

This is pretty much the same squad that got Cullen and Lowes the sack and now its the greatest Warrington side in years.

do you not think that it looks like the best squad in years?

It was always a very good squad on paper but neither of those coaches came close to realising the potential of the players they had at their disposal. Monaghan is now looking like the star we expected him to be since moving to hooker and with subtle additions like the first natural scrum half we've had as first choice seven since Langer (Johns' brief stint excepted of course) I think that makes a big difference.

Are you implying that Smith has the same coaching ability as his predecessors?

Said to you when Smith first came in that if he couldn't get us to win anything with the players we have then no one will, just didn't expect it in the his first season.