No need to apologise. The last 18 GFs have been won by Leeds (7), Saints (6) and Wigan (5). That’s structural.

You never know… but equally, at this point, you kinda do. There’s still sometimes fun and interest to be had on the path to the same seemingly inevitable conclusion.

Rovers will be better next season with jwh and Davies in there. Unfortunately it won't be lo g before they break the near 40 year trophy drought

If FC aren't playing, i (this season) have enjoyed watching HKR (i said what I said) they are really well coached, well disciplined, play a good brand of rugby and have some top players.

I mentioned (I think it was on here as well) when waket were going, that we should go and get tanginoa and Whitbread, i think I was laughed at and people said they weren't good enough, injury prone etc but tanginoa esp has been a standout player in a side that are playing really well.
Another player I said I would've liked us to go for was Evalds. Since his move to FB at KR he has changed that team from a side looking good, to a really really good side.
It's not just on the field that I'm impressed with at KR either.
They seem to be doing a lot of good work across the board over there.

Ok, that's enough nice words said about the red and wh!te es now

Once you are reconciled with the fact they will win at least the Challenge Cup this year you can relax. I have

Wigan will beat them in the semi, wint get a better chance than last year, Schneider finds touch they win in.

Do Rovers have a long term plan with youth, as not one term has won the GF without a decent youth set up and it's essential for long term success.

Already see possible effects of tighter salary cap with Storton and King going.

More success means higher wages, so you have to recycle players internally.

Wigan will be big favorites obviously, and aswell as we've played they have something we don't, which is that winners mentality, I'm hopeful we'll win something sooner rather than later but nothings guaranteed, as for King and Storton, I'm sure little Willie will have a plan, he seems to keep having things up his sleeve so far.

Their youth policy is to sign anyone they can who came through our academy. Been told they are sniffing around quite a few of our younger players throwing daft oney around. Hopefully our new investment will help us fend the off

Biggest risk for rovers is if Peters gets an nrl opportunity sooner rather than later

Can't argue Wilie is a smart recruiter, took some gambles which have really paid off and makes some tough decisions.

Wigan will be a totally different animal in the semi-final.

Think anyone in our academy would be daft to go there. The chances that they'd actually get any game time are very slim. At least we have now proven over the last couple of years that we will give a chance to the ones believed to be good enough, even if it is only down to injuries, at least they're getting a game.
What Rovers have done with Corey Hall should warn off any of our players. Sign him as the next big thing and then as soo as someone else comes along (Broadbent) just ship him straight back out again.
I think Rovers will win something in the next couple of years, and genuinely good for them if they do, but like us in 2016/17 (and the Warrington of a few years ago) they will soon slide back down the league table because they don't have a good enough youth setup to mix it at the top of the table for a sustained period. Splashing money about can get short term success but it's not sustainable. Agents and players soon realise you're ready to spend and will start negotiating for bigger wages which will then cause squad size to shrink.
We are very much in the same boat. Our youth set up isn't as good as Wigan and Saints but we are working very hard to get there and in a couple of years I think we will have a great core of homegrown players, with people like Moy, Charles, Hodgson, Armstrong, Staveley, Jebson. We just need to sign somebody older, experienced players to help guide them, and Asiata is exactly in the right mould.