I didn't say he'd be handing in a transfer request - just expressing my surprise at Smith's comments about Myler's alleged reaction - after his alleged comment to Smith 3 weeks previously!

We will also have a massive amount of Cap to play with along with Moran backing the coach with fees, and also this seasons table topping U20s will be getting ready for first team.

I also reckon we have a big-ish signing lined up for next season with Mathers, Vinnie and Penny leaving only Hodgson signed should be room for another big name and a big fee wont be a problem as Hodgson is off contract an Moran dips into his pockets anyway but this years successful defence of the Challenge Cup will give us some more pennys.

Aren't you full quota already though?

Doesn't have to be an Aussie we didn't buy any last year not sure on the rules for overseas trained as Vinnie would be on that list but am sure if Smith wants someone that we can fit in, Moran and the board we do there best to get them.

It's a fair point about us having to bring in changes, if we are having to sign English players then where are the talented English players? Most of them are at clubs which are our rivals, eg Wigan and Saints. No matter what money we offer, they aren't going to sell us their prize assets.

Warrington have got some decent younger players, and there are one or two names in the current academy for whom there are high hopes, so our future looks better than most in SL, but we have to be realistic, it is going to be a tough competitive environment. I personally think Wigan are going to be the strongest side in a couple of years time, even if this year comes too soon for them to actually win the GF (although they may well do). Wigan in 2010 are a bit like Lewis Hamilton in his first year in F1, you knew that even if the title didn't come in that season, that he would be a front runner for the next few years.

What Warrington are doing with these two Challenge Cups is cashing in now, because we have got a few good young players around, but we have got a very good bunch of senior players and leaders, Briers, Morley, Carvell, Hicks, Monaghan and King and so on. They will still be around next season and most of them in 2012 as well but the Warrington side will look significantly different in 2013. So for us this is our moment and it's good that we are cashing in. I'm not saying we will go backwards, because the infrastructure off the field at Warrington is very good, so we have assured that over the coming decade we will be one of the stronger clubs, but right now I see the sun rising on Wigan.

If Wire hadn't won any trophies in this period then there would be a danger we would have missed the boat, but we have taken our moment and delivered trophies, our fans can relax a bit because we know we are going to be a strong SL club for many years ahead now and if it means were are having 3rd placed finishes and getting to semi finals or losing finals, while Wigan/Saints whoever are winning them, well at least with these cups we have had some success for this generation of fans to have good memories. A few years ago there was a shift in the balance of power away from Bradford towards a young emerging Leeds side and now you can see a shift in the balance of power away from Leeds towards a young emerging Wigan, Wigan should win a few trophies over the next 5-10 years even if they don't monopolise everything like they did before.

The cautionary tale for Wigan to beware of is Parramatta in the NRL, this time ten years ago everybody was forecasting that Parra would go on to dominate the next decade, they had a crop of teenagers who had just broken into the first team that people were saying was the best set of young players ever seen in Australia...Jamie Lyon, Pat Richards, Nathan Hindmarsh, David Vaealiki, Jason Cayless, Brett Hodgson, Andrew Ryan, PJ Marsh, were all in the first team aged 18-21. The next season, they smashed everybody out of sight and won the minor premiership by a landslide and broke all the records in the process...then they lost the Grand Final, and that team never won anything, it went onto be the Bulldogs and Roosters who were the dominant teams, and then Brisbane and Melbourne and Manly. When you look back now it seems incredible that Parra never won anything with the players who they had brought through at that time, but it happened. So nothing is guaranteed, even if it is fair to say the future looks bright in Wigan.

Great post and assessment.

I only heard about all the trouble in the ground yesterday when I picked my brother up after he'd been for the weekend. He was sat amongst the Wire fans with his Wigan shirt on, he said the majority around him were fine, but there was some not far behind him who were fighting. He told me that there was quite a few big fights around the ground involving both Leeds and Warrington fans.

I'm not saying it's just those two sets of fans that cause trouble, but I can't say I'm surprised as both sets seem to have quite a high element of it, as do quite a few clubs these days. I think the football element is entering Rugby League at quite an alarming rate. We're supposed to be considered a family game, but we keep getting these idiots spoiling it for everybody else. How long will it be before we have to bring in segregation?

You misunderstand, I was simply adding to your comment with something that makes the "inside info" crews' claims that he's wanting out even more nonsensical.

It's 5 quota and 5 overseas including said 5 quota.

Solomona doesn't count on the quota, neither does Vanderson but with Hodgson, King, Monaghan, Hicks and Landerson we're at full quota. But as you say,"big signing" doesn't mean it'd be an overseas signing.

For me, I'd rather be looking at Williams and the Evans brothers being brought through, maybe even Jordan Burke.

Bloody hell mathers.

It was a very flat atmophere on Saturday . Had a good Laugh with some of the neutral fans. But there did not seen to be much comming from the Leeds & Wire fans. Even when walking around outside Wembley in our Wigan shirts, took very little abuse compared to usual .

Next time go to the "Greyhound" pub before the game.

Well there were a damn sight more than 5000 empty seats in that ground.
Ignoring the farce that are club wembley seats there were an awful lot of pockets.of empty seats.
That happens. Can't be changed.
But that second tier was more empty than full and it kills the atmosphere!

Speaking of which...
I was looking forward to a "proper" wembley day but it never happened...
Two sets of supporters that didn't sing / chant and were very quiet

I think about 85k - i'd say about 15,000 Club Wembley seats (full or empty they get added onto the attendance) meaning 70k of fans turned up? Not too bad going.

That's a lie.

You must have had your beloved Scotch Pies in you lugholes, then!

Looked that way on TV tbh

Didn't in the stadium until there was about ten to go.

was empty as that tier is for club wembley and they like their wendy ball

The club wembley seats were about 3/5s empty.

Yep - CW really only caters for soccer fans; the CC final is the only non-football event included in the package. Seems silly to include it, really.

Its upto the RFL though isn't it? I presume Wembley National Stadium Ltd will offer the RFL a discount and they will stick the prices of the CW up slightly.

No doubting what every is saying about Club Wembley being less than half full but that will always be the case with Challenge Cup Final however Parsifal who made the original comment is clearly referring to the top tier (eg "ignoring the farce that are Club Wembely seats"icon_wink.gif which to suggest was anything other than almost full is completely wrong.

i was in the top tier and it was completely full in both wire and leeds fans. middle tier had alot of seats empty through club wembley but i would say without club wembley 78k fans there wich is a good turnout. and only other match that would get higher is wign and wire.

Perhaps. I just don't see the CC final as being a major factor in people buying CW packages.