IT is easy to talk Super League over a cliff based on the three possible departures of recent weeks.

Sure, anyone whose read my grumbling columns over the state of the game and what bits need fixing will realise that I’m not in the camp that chooses to stick their fingers in their ears and sing la, la, la.

But the reaction to the news that Chris Sandow and James Segeyaro want out and that Castleford’s prolific winger, and Man of Steel nominee, Denny Solomona is being courted by Sale rugby union reminds me of the Scottish bloke off Dads Army.

It is pointless going around simply saying ‘we are doomed’, and do nothing but that. That is unless we want that to be our own self fulfilling prophecy.

Let’s get it into perspective first - even though we all have gripes over the style and quality of personnel which draws some to pretty stark conclusions, historically the game is not in a dreadful position.

In the 1970s when an import ban was brought in to stop the drain of talent to Australia, the game had a poor image and Saints crowds were tottering around the 4,500 mark and dropping something had to be done.

In fact crowds generally were poor, even for big games and internationals.

That it was turned around and pointed forward again was a lot to do with the positive off the filed input of administrators David Oxley and PRO David Howes.

Polo necks aside, does the game need a pair like that running the shop again?

Crowds were on the up again by the end of the 70s and would have probably carried on that way had large parts of rugby league land not been wiped off the economic map from 1980 when three million blue collar workers joined the dole queue.

Coming up to date, rugby league is still the best ticket in town - in fact it’s probably the only ticket in plenty of northern industrial towns that would now be pretty anonymous without the 13-man code.

The game has to be careful not to take that for granted, but simply flapping around panicking helps nobody.

Going back to the three players, with Sandow and Segeyaro it goes with the territory. If the only young, stardust players from the NRL we can recruit are those with baggage, don’t be surprised if they leave some of that unpacked and ready to collect for a swift return to the airport.

Sometimes you strike lucky - and how lucky were Saints to be blessed with a ‘homesick’ Jamie Lyon.

Solomona’s case is an altogether trickier one which will need a careful appraisal across the board.