WARRINGTON Wolves’ fixture list for 2009 could put a serious dent in the pocket of the ardent travelling fan who doesn’t like to miss a single match.

There will definitely be the annual Super League trip to see Wolves play French club Catalans Dragons as well as a journey to Scotland, with the Rugby Football League announcing this week that Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium will host the Magic Weekend next May after two previous years in Cardiff.

At least one journey to London will be needed for the usual clash with Harlequins.

And, as in previous years, there will be the potential of further long-distance travelling to France or London for Challenge Cup or play-off matches.

On Tuesday we will find out for sure if there will also be a trek into south Wales to see Wolves play Celtic Crusaders or another excursion into deepest France to tackle Toulouse, with both clubs among those bidding to gain one of 14 licences in Super League for the next three years now that promotion and relegation have been scrapped.

I’m not against expansion. The arrival of Catalans Dragons as a force to be reckoned with in the past two years has added great excitement to the competition, as well as an expensive weekend away option for fans.

But there is a danger that if the game moves too far outside of its heartland areas, especially if it requires more expensive overnight stays, some of the core support could become alienated at a time when attendances are on the up. The best ‘gates’ always include a great away following.

Rugby league fans are currently feeling the pinch in rising housekeeping and fuel prices as much as anyone else, so any prospect of forking out more for their weekend entertainment with more matches further afield could be disastrous for crowd figures, with the knock-on effects that would bring for attracting future sponsors as well as future negotiations for the all-important lucrative television rights.

There has to be a balance with the expansion into new areas and the protection of existing ones.

So I feel it is likely that Tuesday’s announcement will see the arrival of one new club to Super League, as well as one or even two old friends.

At this stage of the development of potential newcomers, I see Celtic Crusaders as a more attractive proposition than Toulouse - although I do believe that another club will be needed in France at some stage to maintain the tremendous growth momentum of the 13-a-side code over there.

And from the heartlands, Widnes Vikings or Salford City Reds would appear to be favourites to potentially join Bridgend-based Crusaders in the elite.

But don’t rule out all three.

While the talk I’ve heard appears to suggest growing favour for a successful Crusaders bid, there has been as much said that existing Super League clubs Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity Wildcats could also be at threat because of their tired facilities just a few miles up the road from each other.

One thing for sure, Warrington Wolves tick almost all the boxes in terms of meeting the required criteria and their place in Super League 2009 is a given.

The importance of The Halliwell Jones Stadium move in 2004 and all the campaigning that went into the development is now shining like a beacon for anyone who thought it was a wrench to leave Wilderspool.