Knew it wouldn't be long before Riley gets burnt on here.

I've already been the first to say it.
Smith dropped a bigger bollox than Woodie last season.
Not having Hodgson or another back at least, caught us out.
Ratchford ought to have been on the bench.

Give it a rest, banging that drum - having four forwards on the bench is for the most part standard practice for every coach and team, especially at the top level. It's the forwards that are rotated, not backs. If a back should be injured, a versatile pack player such as loose or second row slides into the backs as cover and one reshuffles. Are we REALLY having to have this conversation? Have you never seen a Tony Smith line up before, or one of any other number of Super League teams for that matter??

That was dumb luck last night, not bad tactics. It's a gamble to not have a back on the bench, one that pays off 99% of the time. Here ends the lesson. Try not to bring this up again, there's a good chap. Stick to posting ridiculous rumours that you've conjured out of your hiney.

you say dumb luck! No such thing as luck, dumb yes. You make your own scenario of what we deem as luck.

contradiction in the highest.

Dumb can be a action or decision that effects an outcome.

Bad tactic is then in order.

be a good chap and stick to not having a clue what your on about.

Pedant-tastic on the dumb luck calling, good catch

Let's call it bad luck. While one makes one's own luck, I haven't seen you calling Smith's tactics for the sub bench until after last night's match. Your rationale suggests we should always have a back on the bench. Please enlighten me to the many occasions where we've used that tactic as a team in our recent, successful years. Intrigued to hear. You've an answer for everything, sadly rarely the correct one. [iHindsight [/iis a quite remarkable thing...

Btw, any more rumours occur to you of late? Please share if so. Always a treat hearing who you'd like us to sign...

What era??

If Wigan had suffered the same luck - say Tomkins and Charnley injured, how would they have coped? I don't see anything in Wigan's bench or starting 13 that suggests they'd have managed any better; the disruption would have been as great, the result may well have been different, Eddie, Phil & Stevo would have been lamenting their bad luck and we may well have been champions.

What is certain is that if we'd have gone with 3 forwards on the bench and Westwood & Wood (for example) had got injured TS would have been murdered.

We are in transition. Morley, Hodgeson and Carvell will leave this year, Monas and Briers next. That is a huge amount of talent, but sadly they are not the players that we remember in their pomp. Next year is a concern for me because I don't see Briers lasting more than 1/3 to 1/2 of a match - he doesn't seem to have the stamina. And whilst Monas showed flashes of his old self at the business end of the season, I suspect his knees will force him into a repeat performance of 2013 - solid, but without the attacking venom of yesteryear.

So the ball is in TS's court, and we are back to a discussion we had months ago, can he re-shape a new cup hunting Wire team ? and what are our prospects for 2014 ?

What we don't know is how much cash the club is able / willing to spend on new players. On paper, the three signings we know about look promising rather than key signings. In terms of salary cap, then including NI, Morley Hodgeson and Carvell must have been pushing £450k. That must mean there is plenty of room to bring in at least one more quality player, perhaps two, providing the transfer money is available. From our own youngsters, we can expect a bigger contribution from Rhys Evans and Ben Currie next year. Outside of that I suspect it will be a case of providing more game time and experience for the better prospects (Laithwaite, Riley, Dwyer and GOB) - essentially building for 2015.

If you add all that up, my feelings are similar to those of Sally on another thread. I think Wire could be around 4th next year, and challenging for the silverware rather than being well positioned to win it.

hindsight doesn't exsist either.

Who I would like us to sign is of no importance and has no influence on the powers that be.

I don't like OPs post but I do think it is the end an era. I think our best shout at winning it was 2011 and two runs from Burrow in the second half got Leeds back in the game, I don't think it had anything to do with Leeds' character as a champion side or owt, I just think Burrows' size and pace did for us and we had no answer to him.

We have made the final in the last two years but I don't think we've been as good a side since we lost Matt King and our older players have got that bit older and M Monaghan's injuries taken their toll on him.

I don't think we'll be going back to Old Trafford for a good while.

Fuck off!

It's a big transition period for Warrington their threat will certainly be weakened, St Helens are going through the same thing now and struggling, it'll be interesting to see how Smith handles it.

I don't see wire being any weaker!?

Going off the team we have left..yes
that left about a fifth of the cap left to spend.

You can get a lot of sweeties for that amount of money!

Therein lies the problem. Sign someone off the shelf rather than promote from within.

fair comment

I think the title should be really be "The end of the era trying to create an Era" you really need to win the big one.
Warrington for most of the season have been the best in the comp and I felt confident they would do it this year.
Most teams will be weaker next year in quality players so I think those long standing era.s created by Bradford, St Helens and Leeds will not be repeated.........no harm in trying though.

The league isn't massively strong at the moment so even with a few losses Wigan and Wire will still compete at the top end if the table. Leeds will be strong again, Huddersfield keep signing solid players and Saints have recruited well. Other then those 3 though there isn't a team capable of breaking the top 4 or 5 IMO.

The one thing I would say about you guys is you should have given more youngsters a chance by now when things have been good. It's easy for young players (well easier) to come in to a team full of experience then it is to come in to a side that has lost a lot of old heads. The depth of your squad has held them back a little IMO.

It is the end of one era for Wire but that's also an exciting time. The resource you have via Simon Moran will ensure you stay in the top 4 for a very long time IMO.

Your forgetting Salford!

That would be Blake Green Harry Sunderland man of the match and double winner that's the Blake Green your referring to is it.

I'm not.

The have signed a couple if good players, a couple of nutcases and a few has beens. They will be strong enough to make the 8 but they'll be nowhere near the top 4.

Let's agree to differ then.
After witnessing that stunt plane yesterday....MK as he now likes to be known hasn't finished there...there will be more to come in.

I can't see the Red Devils challenge for a few seasons yet.

Will be interesting to see who Wigan play at fullback next year to replace Tomkins. I hope they have a young lad coming through their Academy and don't take the approach of signing some 30 odd year old Aussie for a season or two to finish his career.

I think Salford will make Wembley if they avoid us.
A grand final in 2

He'll be a fast, elusive pair of legs to slot in and do the same job tomkins does, so i don't see it weakening wigan. He also has so much experience it'll allow them to ease the young lad in gradually and he'll learn from bowen. Then when bowen retires they'll have a ready made tomkins mark II. It's just very smart management and sucession planning by wigan.

In terms of the question, it is the end of an era for warrington. Transition looms. This will remembered as an era of the cup kings - an experienced team that won some CC's but never quite managed to win the big prize. It will be probably be 3 or 4 years before warrington can come back around again after all the experienced heads have departed, at which the point there will be even more pressure to win the grand final.