Not unless our ambition is winning the LLS

While we are still near the start of the season it will be good for the team to learn to win without relying on Briers ' mighty shoulders to pull us through & also for the coaching staff to try new plays minus the involvement or influence of Briers. Like it or not his era as great as it has been is coming to a close & the fortunes of the club will stand or fall on our hopefully capable & exciting up & coming squad.

What's wrong with Trent?

You guys are kidding yourselves if you think Briers and Morley's absence is anything other than a disaster for us.

Losing more games and finishing lower down the table does not mean you are more likely to win the playoffs. Leeds won the playoffs from 5th because they are Leeds and good in playoff rugby, not because they finished 5th. In 2009 Wakefield finished 5th, how come they didn't win the Grand Final? Leeds won it from 1st. 2008 Bradford finished 5th, they didn't win it either, Leeds won it from 2nd. 2007 Hull finished 5th, Leeds won from 2nd. The common denominator is not finishing 5th its Leeds, who are the best team in the playoffs.

We do not enhance our chances of winning by finishing lower and having to play hard away games with no second chances...twice in the last three years we've lost the first game in the playoffs and only stayed in because we had finished high enough to get a second shot.

When Cullen was here we used to have this sort of situation, injuries early season, everybody saying don't worry, the young players are going to get game time and then come the playoffs we will be right, it never was though was it.

I have a feeling that this is going to be a season of crushing anti climax for us after all the hope at the start of the year. I expect a mix of knocking big scores past lower teams and struggling a bit against the best teams, we might win some, might lose some. The first big shock will be when we first meet a decent team in the Challenge Cup and go in with players missing and get knocked out. That will take some getting over but we will say free now to concentrate on the playoffs. Then we will finish 3rd-5th in the league, approach the playoffs in patchy form, and then first time we face one of the top teams in the playoffs we will go out there too. That's when there will be a lot of anguish on this board as we realise the golden generation are coming to retirement and worry that we have missed the boat.

I hope I'm wrong, and Briers and Morley come back soon and we end up hitting the business end of the season in great form but I have a bad feeling given these injuries to key players, that it is not our year.

Ah well, 2014 Year of the Wolf.

I don't even think you're being ironic his time, bit pessimistic that Sal.

Well I will still be hopeful before every game and I know we do still have a lot of quality in the squad and the best coach but those are my worries.

As they say a worry shared is a worry halved so I wanted to share my fears on a forum with fellow Wire fans so I don't feel so alone...

you can take the boy out of Warrington... But you will never take ALL THOSE YEARS OF INGRAINED HEARTBREAK AND SKEPTICISM AWAY

Stop it. Some people actually believe things that you post.

like i said, from what ive been told today there is a chance he might not play again. he definitely wont be back until at least June/July minimum and if he isnt able to return it would be a horrible end for him.

I think I will need to pop down to Teco's and get another box of tissues tomorrow.

Watching Babe station again?

This would be a disaster but lets not panic from hearsay yet, I'm sure a couple of years ago we were told Morley's career was finished because of an eye injury.

I think we'll start well tomorrow night and possibly lead at half time, but during the second half we'll fade off, without Briers we often seem struggling for ideas. Without Monas on sunday we were even worse with ideas, we might not be as bad with Monas in the team but if Saints play like they can I can't see us winning this game.

What I do know as fact is that we're going to have a number of months without him and we will find out a lot about how much we really rely on him in the big games. I just hope he can come back for the business end of the year.

do we really rely on Briers in big games?

when was the last time this happened?

i would say were more reliant on Hodgson than anyone else these days.

Although I only saw the try highlights, I noticed that we scored last week from a Ratchford kick to the corner. And he is also capable of giving the ball a good hoof as well. He gained good ground on the last play against Hull, from what I saw. Together with Myler and Monas (field kicking) I would have thought we should be able to cover this aspect of the game. Whether or not Ratchford can cover the other 'half' requirements seems to be still up for debate. If it comes to tackling, I think I know who I would choose.

Lets not forget that Briers has had years to perfect his game. It would be exceptional to find a player that could simply walk into the team and play at his level from the start.

Mystic Sal more like Pessimystic

if briers is gonna be out for so long why are the club messing about? surly we deserve to know?

I don't know why they're keeping it quiet, the club don't seem to be saying anything at all about him. And it's all about opinions I suppose, i personally think we are a shadow of the team without briers out there. And I think most other people did until we beat hull. Note they got beat by Widnes the week after. Then we lost at KR. I hope to be proven wrong on Friday night though

Bum !

They've said he may need an operation and if that is the case it is a long term injury - potentially season ending. Because of this they are giving it time to settle by itself for a couple of weeks to see if it resolves that way. Not sure what else they can say...?

Shocking !

Pensionitis.

I'm a big fan of Ratchford but I don't think he is, or ever likely to be stand-off. Myler has had a very good start to the season but he still has come way to go to be the heartbeat of the team.

The player I'd really like to see get extended game team in the halves is O'Brien (alongside Briers) - I think out of all three he has the makings of a really good creative half-back.

As for Briers, sorry he is sill the most creative player we have by a country mile, and probably still the most creative in the league. The spontaneity and guile of the team still drops noticeably when he's not there.

I know we have to plan for life after him, and Myler, Ratchford & GOB are the future but every coach and team in the comp will be thanking their lucky stars the day he packs it in - and I for one am praying that day is a few months of yet at least.

The fleshy bit ( maximus glutimus) not the holey bit.