Why do we just accept that though? We play the same game, we're professional as well, there isn't any good reason for us to lag behind like this apart from the culture of accepting Aussie dominance of RL.

Clive Woodward took the England RU team from 6th and made them World Champions, one of his key beliefs was that England had to stop copying the Southern Hemisphere countries, and try to advance the game themselves, on their own terms. As long as we spend all our time trying to copy what the Aussies are doing, we'll never catch up

Who has Super League lost by being outbid to union? Ashton, but as already said, he was no sad loss. Myler? Is doing ok in RU, but wouldn't have set the RL world alight. Farrell went with his dad. As you say, Pryce and Walker failed, but they were not missed by their clubs. The big money is in French RU, Stade de France apparently has a £20m turnover. But French RU isn't targeting us. And the Aussie stars that they have signed have on the whole been dismal, expensive, failures.I think the fear of the RU poachers is greater than the reality.

Maybe the fear is greater than the reality. And to say that as soon as another Edwards or Connolly or Hanley or Lydon comes along, he also will go to Union could well be fantasy - because there's no sign of any such player yet.

But what's not fantasy is that three of Wigan RL's brightest young prospects are currently being taken for expensive dinners in Cheshire by Sale, and having golden carrots dangled in front of them.

I can understand why that wouldn't worry a Saints fan.

Now come on.......

You know as well as I do that your average Stains fan puts the good of the game above any parochial tendencies.....

I have no reason to doubt what you say about the kids being taken out for dinner and woo'd by Sale, but to suggest that this is purely a Wigan problem is far fetched. I have no doubt that the youngsters of Saints and Leeds, Warrington, Cas have all been approached, or at least have been monitored. However, no Wigan youngsters have left for Sale, and if they do, the game will go on. If Saints lose Eastmond, and Roby and Graham in a Sale raid, it will obviously affect the club. But they would be replaced, another youngster will step up to the plate, and we would move on. I have watched the game for long enough to know that it faces challenges on an annual basis, but so long as there are supporters like us, then I have no doubt that it will still be around long after I am pushing up the daisies.

He gets about a bit these days he is the Ref for Sundays World Club Challenge