Brian Noble talks up potential of Toronto move beyond the world of Rugby League

Brian Noble believes a move to Toronto Wolfpack could be a life-changing decision for players.

The Wolfpack are actively in pursuit of further recruits ahead of their inevitable involvement in the Qualifiers, with Matty Russell the latest player linked with a move to the club.

Noble, who oversees the club’s recruitment, believes only the right type of person will be able to handle the obvious differences in joining the Canadian club.

However, he claims those that can fit in could benefit for the rest of their lives as the sport continues to grow in the country.

“What David, our owner, wants is what he calls a 360 player,” he said.

“I’m not sure he actually exists but what he’s saying is we need an all-round bloke who understands what they’re coming into.

“The reality over here is that you’ve got to convince people to take the leap. You’ve seen the type of player we’ve recruited and they’ve got to be a bit open-minded. I promise you that North America opens up avenues for players that genuinely aren’t open for players over here.

“If they’ve got aspirations to be TV people or to have a new walk of life after playing, the world is your oyster in North America we’re trying to create for our players. Life after rugby is important to us and the bottom line is that you’ve got to be a good player to be a good person and that’s the recruitment policy.”

Meanwhile, Noble warned that their worldwide recruitment search continues to garner interest from players all across the globe.

“We’ve no issues with relationships in Australia, there’s a huge interest in North America and Toronto. We don’t have many issues convincing players that this is the go-to. They understand we’re in the Championship but our aspirations are Super League.

“But you’ve got to be the right fit, off field as much as on it. Do we get it wrong sometimes? Of course we do, everyone does.

“When I’ve spoken to people they say it’s so far away, but it’s not really. It’s a six-hour flight one way and five hours the other. It took us eight hours to get to South Wales on the M6 last year. We’ve got to open our eyes and grasp that, especially the players, that if the game isn’t global the finances won’t go up.

“We’ve got a lot of people who want to play for us at the moment and my statement would be, why wouldn’t you?”