Pack is Coming

[Oxford]

But no one has mentioned Adam Foggerty and Gorgeous George!

[GaryO]

But no one has mentioned Adam Foggerty and Gorgeous George!

If we compare their respective clubs on the basis of their acting ability then Russell Crowe and Adam Foggerty are in the right places!

[Oxford]

If we compare their respective clubs on the basis of their acting ability then Russell Crowe and Adam Foggerty are in the right places!

First you leave out the Bulldogs and Fev then you neglect to mention Gorgeous Goerge is there no end to your prejudices?

[Tex Evans Thigh]

Ive only lived in the states for 9 months and played in the USARL this season. The standard is low. It's low level amateur in the UK at best. It is very similar to the london leagues in that you will get a couple of ex-pros who are way above, enthusiastic and relatively talented locals and then genuine idiots. its not a comp I would be hopeful of supporting a pro team from.

 

As for the footballers who dont make the grade. Im sure there are hundreds, if not thousands. Unfortunately, it may not come as a surprise that RL is virtually unknown as a sport and the only way you get people to play is by knowing someone who might want to play or trying to convert union players who generally cant be bothered because theyre having the summer off due to actually having sunshine here in the summer. upshot is you might get 2% of college footballers trying union and then 5% of that 1% trying league. bearing in mind these might not be the players who are actually good at the game. doesnt leave you with much.

 

Sorry to burst your bubble Oxford but THE WOLFPACK WOOOOOOOOOO are going to have to increase the profile of League significantly to get good recruits and I dont mean make weight C1 players. That is not an east task.

[MidlandsJohn]

Does American football have minor leagues like baseball?

 

No - It's the only one of the "big four" American sports that doesn't. There have been a few attempts at creating a minor system but the leagues usually limp along for a few years then fold.

 

Arena football (as in the fully national Arena League) is struggling financially and could fold, while the regional leagues are tiny operations where $200 a game puts you at the high end of the payscale.

 

Canadian football is fully professional and can offer good pay (depending on your position) but Americans are at a disadvantage because each team (and there are only 9 pro teams) must have a minimum quota of Canadians in their squad.

[Bleep1673]

Not read through the entire thread, so apologise, but did anybody see the delusional interview with Eric Perez on Premier Sports, it was on freeview the other night. He seems to think that Toronto will have crowds of 20-30k within 5 years, he states that the financial backing is already into millions of C$, and season tickets are already in there 1000's

That a team in Canada will pull in thousands more spectators in Championship one than ever before because the local sports do not have promotion & relegation, that why the Maple Leafs have a 20 year waiting list despite wining nothing for years, that the RFL are too M62'd to genuinely expand.

I remember Fulham in 1980 having similar plans, goals, and initial sales.

 

I challenge Eric Perez to come down to Sussex & try and start a Pro Rugby League side where there is not even a decent Football side, apart from Brighton or Crawley within 60 miles, & see how hard it is in the UK.

I will give all my spare time.

[Lowdesert]

It was explained to us that the American collegiate system takes in hundreds of athletes to play "football" they major in embroidery or some such thing. Only about 1% make it into the pro game and the rest leave the programme and are hardly literate but are great athletes.

If only a couple get onto the squad it will give a local feel to the team.

There is no doubt that a huge " wrecking ball" type player can have a big influence on a game provided they are fit enough for RL. Stamina may be a problem.

If it was so simple.

To excel and make pro Rugby League, means IMO you have to be born into it, play from a young age. Not saying it can't be done, but to aim for the pro game, from the start, is a hell of an ask and extremely time consuming for coaches.

I played with a couple of American footballers who really found it difficult to catch and pass, especially under pressure. They both had issues with the contact, specifically knowing how to land and positioning into the tackle in real time. Both were very strong, fit and fast, but fell by the wayside. They were but two, I know of no others - maybe someone can add to this?

Without appearing to be disingenuous, I'm often not sure how many people don't realise what a tough game RL is.

[Bob8]

Not read through the entire thread, so apologise, but did anybody see the delusional interview with Eric Perez on Premier Sports, it was on freeview the other night. He seems to think that Toronto will have crowds of 20-30k within 5 years, he states that the financial backing is already into millions of C$, and season tickets are already in there 1000's

That a team in Canada will pull in thousands more spectators in Championship one than ever before because the local sports do not have promotion & relegation, that why the Maple Leafs have a 20 year waiting list despite wining nothing for years, that the RFL are too M62'd to genuinely expand.

I remember Fulham in 1980 having similar plans, goals, and initial sales.

 

I challenge Eric Perez to come down to Sussex & try and start a Pro Rugby League side where there is not even a decent Football side, apart from Brighton or Crawley within 60 miles, & see how hard it is in the UK.

I will give all my spare time.

It would be concerning on face value.  It would not be the first time a backer has been enthusiastic more because they completely under-estimate the challenge.  If it is naivity, we will see the "Build it and they will come" approach, if there is intense, active promotion and growth will can be cheerful.

 

However, work on the ground will largely be invisible to us.  The more optimistic side is that it is an expectation to talk big to attract sponsors and players.  Saying "This is really tough, we will have to slug our guts out with tedious work and it might well all fall to pieces in five years anyway", would be heartening for a few of us, but would not be an advisable public statement.

[Yosser]

Not read through the entire thread, so apologise, but did anybody see the delusional interview with Eric Perez on Premier Sports, it was on freeview the other night. He seems to think that Toronto will have crowds of 20-30k within 5 years, he states that the financial backing is already into millions of C$, and season tickets are already in there 1000's

That a team in Canada will pull in thousands more spectators in Championship one than ever before because the local sports do not have promotion & relegation, that why the Maple Leafs have a 20 year waiting list despite wining nothing for years, that the RFL are too M62'd to genuinely expand.

I remember Fulham in 1980 having similar plans, goals, and initial sales.

 

I challenge Eric Perez to come down to Sussex & try and start a Pro Rugby League side where there is not even a decent Football side, apart from Brighton or Crawley within 60 miles, & see how hard it is in the UK.

I will give all my spare time.

 

I image he is making these claims on the basis that Toronto is now the third biggest city in North America (behind New York and LA) with a population over 2.8 million and yet more in the surrounding area.

If through huge promotion of the game he can interest 1% of the population to turning up and see what all the fuss is about, he has his 28,000.

But that is still a very big ask. 

Good luck to him for daring to dream. He's done extremely well to get this far.

[welshmagpie]

Ive only lived in the states for 9 months and played in the USARL this season. The standard is low. It's low level amateur in the UK at best. It is very similar to the london leagues in that you will get a couple of ex-pros who are way above, enthusiastic and relatively talented locals and then genuine idiots. its not a comp I would be hopeful of supporting a pro team from.

As for the footballers who dont make the grade. Im sure there are hundreds, if not thousands. Unfortunately, it may not come as a surprise that RL is virtually unknown as a sport and the only way you get people to play is by knowing someone who might want to play or trying to convert union players who generally cant be bothered because theyre having the summer off due to actually having sunshine here in the summer. upshot is you might get 2% of college footballers trying union and then 5% of that 1% trying league. bearing in mind these might not be the players who are actually good at the game. doesnt leave you with much.

Sorry to burst your bubble Oxford but THE WOLFPACK WOOOOOOOOOO are going to have to increase the profile of League significantly to get good recruits and I dont mean make weight C1 players. That is not an east task.

What do you mean about Idiots in the USARL Tex? Half fit blokes who just turn up and get hurt due to arrogance?

[Tex Evans Thigh]

What do you mean about Idiots in the USARL Tex? Half fit blokes who just turn up and get hurt due to arrogance?

 

Idiots is probably a poor choice of phrase, but there are a fair few guys who basically aren't great at the sport and never will be. In fact not great athletes and are just down for the social aspect.

 

There are some really good american players don't get me wrong but not too many who would make the step up to championship 1, let alone championship or SL.

[Dave T]

James Laithewaite and Gary Wheeler sugn for the Wolfpack from the Wolves.

Laithewaite is an excellent signing.

[Dave T]

https://warringtonwolves.com/club-news/laithwaite-wheeler-bound-toronto/

Extremely positive comments from Smith and the players.

[Davo5]

James Laithewaite and Gary Wheeler sugn for the Wolfpack from the Wolves.

Laithewaite is an excellent signing.

Hope the've got good medical insurance

[DoubleD]

Am surprised Laithwaite has dropped down so far, thought he was a solid SL player who just had a bad injury. You know what you're going to get with Wheeler

[Dave T]

Am surprised Laithwaite has dropped down so far, thought he was a solid SL player who just had a bad injury. You know what you're going to get with Wheeler

am disappointed we lost him tbh. Think he was not far off as good as hughes.

[GaryO]

The scorelines in the Championship One next season does not bear thinking about when this Toronto team once the full squad is assembled when they meet the other expansionist clubs.

In comparison I expect the games to be like an under17's v under13's.

[brooza]

Am surprised Laithwaite has dropped down so far, thought he was a solid SL player who just had a bad injury. You know what you're going to get with Wheeler

There's a lot to be said for getting in on the ground floor at an exciting new venture. If the Wolfpack take off, he'll go down in their club's history

[nadera78]

The scorelines in the Championship One next season does not bear thinking about when this Toronto team once the full squad is assembled when they meet the other expansionist clubs.

In comparison I expect the games to be like an under17's v under13's.

It is a genuine concern looking at it dispassionately. 

 

That said, as someone with family links to Toronto and who loves the place, I'm very excited to see this club entering our leagues and hope to see them rattle a few cages on their way, eventually, to a SL spot. 

[glossop saint]

Good to see some signings for Toronto.  I hope that the importance of representing the game in a new market is being impressed upon them.  They will be ambassadors for the sport in the early days and I hope that there is plenty of community work tied into their full time(?) contracts.  The comments I saw from Laithwaite suggests that he appreciates this.