The new signings for 2008 will have to be damned good as their replacements

It's a big call to release Henry Fa'afili, Brent Grose and Chris Leikvoll at the end of the season, especially on the heels of Michael Sullivan and Mike Wainwright also leaving.

Fa'afili, Grose, Leikvoll and Wainwright have made significant contributions to Wolves' renaissance years under Paul Cullen and, together with Sullivan, have shown good form this year.

So, it's not surprising that the head coach feels gutted' about the pending departure of Fa'afili, Grose and Leikvoll from The Halliwell Jones Stadium.

It strikes me that the new signings for 2008 will have to be damned good as their replacements if Wolves are to continue making progress.

Wolves obviously believe that new blood can make a difference and have splashed the cash on attracting some more of the world's reputed leading talent to Warrington.

There are stamps of quality inked into the skin of Test-match stars Matt King (Australia) and Louis Anderson (New Zealand), while Michael Monaghan and Chris Hicks have been strong performers for a period in the NRL.

But they will all need to regularly produce the best of their abilities for the club to continue mounting its consistent bid for honours. Let's hope they do.

Meanwhile, it's all eyes on Wembley on Saturday and I won't sit on the fence.

My heart says Catalans Dragons but my head rules it will be Saints who will be smiling at 4.30pm, and I don't think I will be the only one feeling that way.

All will depend on Saints' performance on the day.

History suggests the red V men are masters at peaking for the big occasions and they have the individuals to win a match from anywhere on the field.

If Daniel Anderson's troops hit their straps to the maximum level of their abilities then I fear the scoreboard operator could be busy and the silverware will be on its way back to Knowsley Road.

But if there is a hint of complacency in the Saints camp or if their form is not as good as it could be, Les Catalans have the ability to turn them over.

Legendary New Zealand scrum half Stacey Jones has the knack to sniff out a win and he has marauding pack men in front of him desperate to make a name for themselves.

For Dragons, this game is the biggest the majority of their players will ever contest and the energy that could be derived from that fact could be telling if Saints are not 100 per cent at the races.

Jerome Guisset and company certainly showed against Wigan Warriors in the semi final at The Halliwell Jones Stadium that they have no respect for rugby league's traditional big guns but I think they will have to satisfy themselves with the thought that reaching the first final at the new Wembley was an achievement in itself.