The General 'Toronto Wolfpack' Discussion Thread

[Kayakman]

1 hour ago, Robin Evans said:

It really does look like the end of twp 

Don't think that way....be positive.

[Blind side johnny]

3 hours ago, RobertAM said:

well if its York LNER I will be selling the ranch and investing in flights to the UK in 2021. I was booked to fly in March for the WP-Wakey double header until the plague kiboshed all that. See the Kneets too - inoculated with lashings of John Smiths Old Brewery Bitter!

I think you mean Sam Smiths, don't you?

[Blind side johnny]

1 hour ago, Man of Kent said:

Toronto Wolfpack Super League re-entry bid has ‘big holes in it’ and ‘the case for rejection is overwhelming’

Is this where a chunk of that £1.6M went?

[Oldbear]

2 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

Unfortunately missing out the option of possibly resuming for season 2022 , which would be the best one 

It feels like you and me are the only ones who feel this way, are we missing something? If we are I don’t know what it is.

[Oldbear]

1 hour ago, LeytherRob said:

The more I hear about LiVolsi, the more I think he's just trying to get his grooming business to the UK and nothing else

This is also my worry. If indeed this is the case it won’t really matter how rich he is, because if the grooming business does not achieve the numbers he is looking for he will walk away. It’s not enough to be rich, he has to be motivated to stick with the team and I’m not sure he has any interest in the sport at all.

[RobertAM]

23 minutes ago, Blind side johnny said:

I think you mean Sam Smiths, don't you?

yep..fingers faster than brain!!

[bratman]

2 hours ago, LeytherRob said:

The more I hear about LiVolsi, the more I think he's just trying to get his grooming business to the UK and nothing else, all success of his plan seems to hinge on his business being a massive success in an already crowded marketplace, with a potential no deal Brexit coming. Even if Toronto are readmitted, it's looking increasingly likely we will be in the same situation next season.

I agree, smells fishy to me. Offering SL clubs a share in his grooming business is bizarre!

[Steve Slater]

35 minutes ago, Oldbear said:

It feels like you and me are the only ones who feel this way, are we missing something? If we are I don’t know what it is.

Me to, I was the first to suggest it.

[Oldbear]

50 minutes ago, bratman said:

I agree, smells fishy to me. Offering SL clubs a share in his grooming business is bizarre!

I don’t know why, because I have no personal knowledge of the guy, but something doesn’t feel right. Do we know if he has any interest in sports, because if he doesn’t then he’s unlikely to stick around long term.

[John Drake]

There's a fair bit of stuff in this week's League Express on the Toronto / Super League situation.

To avoid new threads popping up, I've posted links to it all below, which you can read now on TotalRL.com Premium, or you can get the digital edition from www.totalrl.com/le later this evening. Print edition is in shops Monday.

Super League report opposes Wolfpack return
https://www.totalrl.com/super-league-report-opposes-wolfpack-return

Wolfpack owner to face interrogation
https://www.totalrl.com/wolfpack-owner-to-face-interrogation

Elstone faces Wolfpack dilemma
https://www.totalrl.com/elstone-faces-wolfpack-dilemma

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, Steve Slater said:

Me to, I was the first to suggest it.

When ?

[tms]

3 hours ago, LeytherRob said:

The more I hear about LiVolsi, the more I think he's just trying to get his grooming business to the UK a

not the first  time  remember Rugby Strength the cbd cream launched by them that was going  to be the saviour of rugby league

"Toronto Wolfpack RLFC  is set to become the first professional sporting team to enter the thriving CBD-infused products marketplace The Wolfpack organization is driven by the belief that the world is a better place with more rugby balls in kids’ hands. We also aspire to create a global centre for rugby excellence in Toronto, "

[Tommygilf]

 

 

[Tommygilf]

As I suggested earlier in this thread, can Elstone's position be tenable if he loses the vote tomorrow, probably not

 

[The Future is League]

4 hours ago, Scubby said:

I welcome the due diligence of Toronto. But this has now set a benchmark for diligence and viability of all 11 other SL clubs.

You are potentially creating a dangerous precedent here. How many of these voting 11 clubs would be able to pass the same scrutiny? And how would the other clubs feel about voting on the viability of say Wakefield or Salford or Wigan? I said it earlier, we could see TWP punted, then a couple of clubs go #### up in the next few months. Who votes on whether they can survive if that happens?

Exactly. A certain club has been promising the RFL a new ground or an upgrade on his present ground for over 20 years and no action has been taken against them.

[Tommygilf]

4 hours ago, Scubby said:

I welcome the due diligence of Toronto. But this has now set a benchmark for diligence and viability of all 11 other SL clubs.

You are potentially creating a dangerous precedent here. How many of these voting 11 clubs would be able to pass the same scrutiny? And how would the other clubs feel about voting on the viability of say Wakefield or Salford or Wigan? I said it earlier, we could see TWP punted, then a couple of clubs go #### up in the next few months. Who votes on whether they can survive if that happens?

Absolutely! People in glass houses... 

This is incidently how the purges started in the Soviet Union

[Pulga]

11 hours ago, Blind side johnny said:

Well, the Australian economy boomed, for one thing. Similarly "traditional" Australian sports boomed also, allowing the players to become full-time and well paid.

I believe this is what is called an economic cycle and, for once, cannot be laid at the door of the RFL.

It has cycled through boom and bust a few times. As has all economies. That's no excuse.

[Tommygilf]

I think I'm actually at the stage with this now where much like with several recent political events, I don't really care about the result, I just enjoy the brain explosions afterwards.

For example, a recent tweeter I've come across who I actually think is at risk of ripping his own head off in a rage if Toronto get readmitted. 

[Damien]

22 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

As I suggested earlier in this thread, can Elstone's position be tenable if he loses the vote tomorrow, probably not

 

I've been prepared to give Elstone a lot of leeway but I no longer think he is the person who can drive Super League forward and he seems to be too keen to listen and placate vested interests. There is no need to pay someone a substantial sum of money for that. I do think some good things have happened under his watch and we did see improvements pre Covid-19 in terms of PR with the new shows on Sky and an increased general interest, ironically partly because of Toronto and them signing SBW which is the very team he now wants to get rid of.

[winnyason]

My general belief is superleague/Rfl should have never said yes in the first place. Its seems a typical debacle which is superleague expansion model bar catalans. Quite sad and I simply can't see the superleague expanding with exception of Toulouse in the future. 

[LeytherRob]

4 hours ago, Scubby said:

I welcome the due diligence of Toronto. But this has now set a benchmark for diligence and viability of all 11 other SL clubs.

You are potentially creating a dangerous precedent here. How many of these voting 11 clubs would be able to pass the same scrutiny? And how would the other clubs feel about voting on the viability of say Wakefield or Salford or Wigan? I said it earlier, we could see TWP punted, then a couple of clubs go #### up in the next few months. Who votes on whether they can survive if that happens?

TWP news more scrutiny though because they've already burned the league once, if LiVolsi grooming brand doesn't take off or they don't get any home games again, what is to stop the same thing happening again next year? If it did, SL would look unbelievably weak.

We all want to be a big boy in the sports world, but all the truly big sports share the same unflinching belief that no club is above the sport and punished accordingly. They have far more integrity as a result whereas RL bends over to any fella with a few million in his back pocket in the belief it's going to solve all our bills.

[The Future is League]

2 minutes ago, Damien said:

I've been prepared to give Elstone a lot of leeway but I no longer think he is the person who can drive Super League forward and he seems to be too keen to listen and placate vested interests. There is no need to pay someone a substantial sum of money for that. I do think some good things have happened under his watch and we did see improvements pre Covid-19 in terms of PR with the new shows on Sky and an increased general interest, ironically partly because of Toronto and them signing SBW which is the very team he now wants to get rid of.

I think a majority of fans would agree with you

[Tommygilf]

7 minutes ago, Damien said:

I've been prepared to give Elstone a lot of leeway but I no longer think he is the person who can drive Super League forward and he seems to be too keen to listen and placate vested interests. There is no need to pay someone a substantial sum of money for that. I do think some good things have happened under his watch and we did see improvements pre Covid-19 in terms of PR with the new shows on Sky and an increased general interest, ironically partly because of Toronto and them signing SBW which is the very team he now wants to get rid of.

I'm pretty much at the same point mate, some of the stuff like PR and the branding have been positives but ironically have been half based on Toronto this year. His ambition is limited and his vision is best of what we have (but not actually what we have because that doesn't include London, Newcastle, Coventry, Toronto, Ottawa perhaps even Catalans or Toulouse you could argue).

[The Future is League]

3 minutes ago, winnyason said:

My general belief is superleague/Rfl should have never said no in first place. Its seem a typical debacle which is superleague expansion model bar catalans. Quite sad and I simply can't see the superleague expanding with exception of Toulouse in the future. 

I think there was a genuine hope that they could tap into the mega rich North American sports market.

Toulouse being a large wealthy city could bring a lot to Super League in my opinion, but some people in this country want the game to remain played in the M62 corridor, Even though there is a decline in junior playing numbers in the last years

[Tommygilf]

9 minutes ago, winnyason said:

My general belief is superleague/Rfl should have never said yes in the first place. Its seems a typical debacle which is superleague expansion model bar catalans. Quite sad and I simply can't see the superleague expanding with exception of Toulouse in the future. 

I think that's probably a fair point, but we're here now and Ottawa have been accepted for next year too.