Wire -> salford -> bradford. Quite a decline in 12 months. https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... gton-star/

Wire -> salford -> bradford. Quite a decline in 12 months. https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... gton-star/

Quote Wires71="Wires71"Wire -> salford -> bradford. Quite a decline in 12 months. https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... gton-star/'" Good signing for Bradford, always tried his best for us, good luck to the lad.

Quote Wires71="Wires71"Wire -> salford -> bradford. Quite a decline in 12 months. https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... gton-star/'" Good signing for Bradford, always tried his best for us, good luck to the lad.

The trend of players that leave us is strange. Wilde, Evans (2), Blythe, Penny, Mitchell, Laithwaite and many others have had starts with us, some even played in grand finals, but have left to never be seen again really. You could even put Riley in that bracket.

Are these players not as good as we think they are/were?

I think that's definitely the case.

I think with a large chunk of above, we didn't think they were great did we?

Rhys Evans is the only one of those that I thought may have good career ahead of him but he seemed to stall and not progress any further.

In regards to Patton, I don't wish to start bashing him, but it was inevitable he'd end up in the championship. I wish him well there and hope he has a good few years in him.

Nope but we can see g king will dagger l Johnson for hull jr pushing cats in a semi final O'Brien has played well since leaving us Brad Dwyer so we've had a few flop but more recently I think we've improved.

Realistically, Johnson and Dagger are solid reserves. O’Brien and Dwyer have gone on the be as good as they were with us, marginally better maybe. Rhys Williams has had a good career too

There was a time when there was a bit of expectation around a few of those. When Mitchell scored “that try”, Patton started a Grand Final, as did Wilde who at the time I think a few were excited about his development.

Penny and Riley we’re both good for us, Riley playing for the Knights and being a regular and holding his own in a really strong team.

You sometimes get people on here saying that these guys were all terrific prospects they were just held back by poor coaching with us. But if that was the case, we'd be seeing examples of players escaping the Warrington coaching environment and then going on to bigger and better things elsewhere. Brad Dwyer has done OK and won a Challenge Cup with Leeds but thats about it.

On the other hand, we've seen examples of other players who have joined us at a young age from other clubs, and have gone on to bigger and better things with us. Briers, Westwood, Bridge, Grix. If the problem was that the coaching at Warrington didn't allow young players to develop, how come those were all stars with us. What was the difference between them and the guys like Patton and the list Barbed Wire mentioned above?

The lack of progression of those mentioned, is mainly down to the obsession we have in filling the overseas quota spots, AND busting the bank to buy any big name "talent", when they become available, thus pushing them further down the pecking order.

Of the names mentioned, I'd wager only Patton, Riley and Penny (over 2 spells) were what you saw as regular starters. Maybe some more would've flourished, HAD they been given more game time, but we seem averse take the risk like Saints, Leeds or Wigan would. Some were just plain [inot good enough. [/i

Patton didn't flourish with 100+ games though.

So why haven't they been picked up by some of the better teams that don't fill their overseas quota spots and would have found space for them - surely they would have seen them as good value talent that could be picked up relatively cheaply.

Because, like I've just said, the better clubs have already taken a punt on THEIR OWN youngsters, AND, they've kept faith with them, going on to win multiple GFs.

Meanwhile, ours get about 10-20 games, and then get released..
Imagine 3 years ago, being an academy centre, or someone at the point of getting through to the first team, and we sign Burrell. Likewise a second rower, and we sign Mr Bland Clark.