AS I prepare to leave Warrington Wolves, the fact I have a heavy heart shows you I have an emotional tie to the club.

We had a good season last year but we didn’t quite win the Grand Final or at Wembley. I would have loved to have won everything but that is sport.

The town and the fans have been fantastic.

When I first arrived here and we did the first survey, I remember all the negatives and things that need fixing.

That would not be the case now and it shows how far we have come as a club.

I have always said Warrington will have its peak from 2017 to 2019 and I really believe that.

I know from my tennis experience that I saw Andy Murray lose six grand slam finals and now I have seen him win the US Open, Wimbledon, the Davis Cup and become world number one.

And it will be the same for Warrington. Those three Grand Final defeats have hurt but how sweet will it be when a championship is finally won.

I really want to congratulate Karl Fitzpatrick. He has been involved in the senior management through the changes here. So it shows good business continuity.

We have a long term plan and he will be right to push on with it. Normally when a new chief executive takes over they rip things up and start again and hopefully he won’t have to do that.

There are still things to improve and Karl will achieve that.

In any sport, it all comes back to the fans.

In my new role, the biggest challenge facing Super League is making sure we have the best product possible on the pitch.

And the most important piece of that is how do we recruit and retain the best players when the NRL and rugby union are around, who can pay more money.

That is why it is really pleasing to see extended contracts for Ben Currie and Chris Hill.

Super League has got to retain these sort of players and eventually be in a position where the likes of Sam Burgess and James Graham, are playing here.

A lot of our best players are not playing in Super League and that has to change to drive ticket sales and get a better product.

That said, there is a lot right at the moment with new sponsorship deals and a new season under way.

With my experience at Warrington, any changes can be done with the knowledge of how fans are feeling and what they demand.