"I tried telling them this only this week, but it's still the coach's fault apparently"

You’re clearly suggesting that the reason we have been poor lately is because we’re lacking academy products in the first team and that our recent slump is nothing to do with the coach.

No, I'm saying that there are more reasons than simply the coach and that our problems have been long term and certainly before Powell rocked up.

Coupled with the obvious common denominator that all the GF winners of the last 15 or so years have had a healthy core of academy players and that an obviously bang average coach like Brian McDermott has several GF wins and I reckon I'm pretty close to the truth.

hmmm similar theory is that most sides that have won the gf and league prior to that have had one or two of the best centres in the league at the time what is more important academy or centres ???
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I think it's a given that the GF or league winning sides will have several of the best players in the league at that time, and not just centres?...

When we nearly won in '93/94 we had JD

Disagree. They won becuase they were the best team on the day and had one of the strongest teams in the comp that year. Every squad in SL has a decent group of academy players. Thewlis, Wrench, King (next year), Philbin, Currie. I'd say that's a pretty healthy core to be honest. Our fantastic 2012 team had 9 academy players and we still couldn't win the GF.

Aaron Lindop is class and a centre, so perhaps he'll fix both of those problems. Your academy is so much better now than it has been, even in recent years. A lot less arrogance about it after the last round of changes too. It's then the first team that needs to help the academy. Warrington have been producing good enough talents for 10 years at least, but to make it in Super League most need a stable first team environment with good mentality and that has been missing. Those that still make it despite not having those things are usually truly exceptional players. In fairness to Powell it's very hard to successfully bring players through in a team in crisis, so that might explain his perceived reluctance to play the academy players. Had you maintained your early season form, I think we'd be seeing more academy players being dripped in here and there.

I agree. It had very little to do with McDermott and down to them having top players, many of whom were academy players, who had the ability to produce on the day.

If anything, McDermott held that side back as they finished a distant 5th in the league and many of their fans wanted the coach out.

Our 2012 GF line up had 4 academy players, who were Riley, Harrison, Wood and Cooper.

Leeds's had more and included Ryan Hall, Sinfield, Burrow and McGuire - I think the difference is apparent, hey?...

Maybe people aren't really bothered right now about signings as bringing in a new face merely masks the systemic failure to improve what is already there