Look we have a salary cap in place in our sport which means there is no reason why we can't compete at the top level providing we continue to bring youngsters through. We are not being outbid by other teams (Pryce going to Catalans is more than just a simple outbidding exercise), except perhaps Warrington who appear to be happy to pay transfer fees, however I don't see many other teams going down that route to success. Most teams appear happy to put their faith in the youngsters, including Warrington, and rightfully so.
There is no reason why we can't compete at the top level unless our team development fails, which given its pedigree over the past twenty years would be a surprise. If we are not spending up to the cap we are deluding ourselves when our turnover is more than capable of supporting a full cap spend as it currently stands.
The salary cap works both ways which is something people seem to be forgetting. It means that you can go down as well as up but it doesn't mean that you write off two to three seasons at a time based on whatever hunch it is you're using as your evidence. As we've seen in Australia you can be down near the bottom one year and then right up there the next and vice versa.
It's amazing how invincible people seem to think Wigoon and Warrington are when take Tomkins and Briers out of either side and they are immediately beatable. Why are people looking at those teams and writing us off completely? I've never heard such nonsense and I am a person who still has concerns about our inability to defend under Simmons. Get your heads in order Saints fans because you're embarrassing us.