The General 'Toronto Wolfpack' Discussion Thread

[Mushy 362]

Wheeler at times has been a fantastic competitor for Toronto, and a good utility to have on the books. With Stanley back and Miloudi and Leutele they’ve obviously decided that they could make better use of the money elsewhere, arguably on ad hoc loan signings or maybe Gigot. Hard to argue with that approach really as Wheeler wasn’t ever going to give them 20 games this year. 

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo 936]

Bit like Wakey taking Simon Grix on loan from Wire a few years back as a favour.  Do Saints play Toronto just before Wembley?

[Hela Wigmen 2,816]

1 hour ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

St Helens are rattled, the wheels have well and truly come off at the club, the 2020 Super League competition is wide open to the top 8 clubs 

That’s quite something to deduce from the signing of a backup player. 

 

[Big Ask 10]

Wheeler could have been a top player but a career impacted badly by injuries.  

[Jayme2020 226]

11 hours ago, Oldbear said:

Calgary is not a rugby hotbed, I have to say I have never heard of this company and I have a son who would probably be one of their customers. 
Pleased to see Quinn resigned hopefully he gets the chance to showcase BC over at Rochdale.

I don't think Alberta over all is big in rugby.

[Saint Toppy 1,616]

Apparently he's been offered a 'Basic contract'  to the end of this season with a 'pay as you play' bonus. Even if he ended up playing every single match from now to the end of the year (which is unlikely anyway) he would still be earning a lot less than his current Toronto contract. 

When he was fit (which wasn't very often) he had some pretty decent games, but as a full contract player he was costing way too much to be sat on the treatment table every year. So a basic contract with pay as you play could turn out to be a good move until Percival returns (which isn't for another 4 months or so).

Youngsters like Simm & Rizelli are showing great promise in the Reserves but I don't think either are quite ready to be playing 1st team every week.

[Harry Stottle 4,233]

12 minutes ago, Saint Toppy said:

Apparently he's been offered a 'Basic contract'  to the end of this season with a 'pay as you play' bonus. Even if he ended up playing every single match from now to the end of the year (which is unlikely anyway) he would still be earning a lot less than his current Toronto contract. 

When he was fit (which wasn't very often) he had some pretty decent games, but as a full contract player he was costing way too much to be sat on the treatment table every year. So a basic contract with pay as you play could turn out to be a good move until Percival returns (which isn't for another 4 months or so).

Youngsters like Simm & Rizelli are showing great promise in the Reserves but I don't think either are quite ready to be playing 1st team every week.

I can see how that would be good for for Saints, but what about Wheeler?

[Saint Toppy 1,616]

48 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

I can see how that would be good for for Saints, but what about Wheeler?

What club would be mad enough to offer him a full time contract similar to the one he had at Toronto with his injury record ?

[CanadianRugger 1,554]

4 hours ago, Jayme2020 said:

I don't think Alberta over all is big in rugby.

That's not true.  Both Edmonton and Calgary have a strong Rugby Union community.  After Ontario and BC, Alberta is the strongest Rugby Union playing province.  

Here are a list of clubs:

https://www.rugbyalberta.com/findaclub/

Alberta has also provided a number of pro players to European clubs, notably:

Andrew Tiedemann (Top 14, RFU Championship)

Scott Franklin (Top 14)

Ryan Smith (Top 14)

Jeff Hassler (Pro 14, including ALL Star honours and top try scorer, MLR)

The Prairies have produced a lot of good rugby players.  Saskatchewan and Alberta have pumped out some of our best players in recent times.  Notably Jeff Hassler and DTH Van der Merwe (who played his Junior Rugby and HS Football in Saskatchewan).

DTH is a player that could walk in to any Top 10 RU side and probably be a starter, bar for the NZ All Blacks.

Edited March 11, 2020 by CanadianRugger

[Jayme2020 226]

28 minutes ago, CanadianRugger said:

That's not true.  Both Edmonton and Calgary have a strong Rugby Union community.  After Ontario and BC, Alberta is the strongest Rugby Union playing province.  

Here are a list of clubs:

https://www.rugbyalberta.com/findaclub/

Alberta has also provided a number of pro players to European clubs, notably:

Andrew Tiedemann (Top 14, RFU Championship)

Scott Franklin (Top 14)

Ryan Smith (Top 14)

Jeff Hassler (Pro 14, including ALL Star honours and top try scorer, MLR)

The Prairies have produced a lot of good rugby players.  Saskatchewan and Alberta have pumped out some of our best players in recent times.  Notably Jeff Hassler and DTH Van der Merwe (who played his Junior Rugby and HS Football in Saskatchewan).

DTH is a player that could walk in to any Top 10 RU side and probably be a starter, bar for the NZ All Blacks.

Maybe in that sense but you don't here people talk about there leagues as much as they do in Ontario or Quebec.

[Robin Evans 4,732]

29 minutes ago, CanadianRugger said:

That's not true.  Both Edmonton and Calgary have a strong Rugby Union community.  After Ontario and BC, Alberta is the strongest Rugby Union playing province.  

Here are a list of clubs:

https://www.rugbyalberta.com/findaclub/

Alberta has also provided a number of pro players to European clubs, notably:

Andrew Tiedemann (Top 14, RFU Championship)

Scott Franklin (Top 14)

Ryan Smith (Top 14)

Jeff Hassler (Pro 14, including ALL Star honours and top try scorer, MLR)

The Prairies have produced a lot of good rugby players.  Saskatchewan and Alberta have pumped out some of our best players in recent times.  Notably Jeff Hassler and DTH Van der Merwe (who played his Junior Rugby and HS Football in Saskatchewan).

DTH is a player that could walk in to any Top 10 RU side and probably be a starter, bar for the NZ All Blacks.

Wasn't schmidt captain of Rotherham in the premiership?

[CanadianRugger 1,554]

4 minutes ago, Jayme2020 said:

Maybe in that sense but you don't here people talk about there leagues as much as they do in Ontario or Quebec.

That's because Rugby Union is very regional in Canada and also parochial and political.  The BC Rugby Union and Toronto Rugby Union have an outsized voice and influence in Canadian Rugby, even though many good players come from elsewhere.

Trust me, I used to coach Junior Rugby in Ontario.  The representative teams aren't filled with the best players, just the ones whose parents are willing to pay the fees and who come from the "right" clubs.

I know a number of players who were on no ones radar in Canada yet have gone on to very successful rugby careers in Europe.  

 

Edited March 11, 2020 by CanadianRugger

[CanadianRugger 1,554]

4 minutes ago, Robin Evans said:

Wasn't schmidt captain of Rotherham in the premiership?

Yep and he later became the Director of Rugby at Esher RFC.

 

 

[Bearman 4,145]

Reports that Sonny Bill needs knee surgery and will miss most of the season.

[The Hallucinating Goose 2,641]

6 minutes ago, Bearman said:

Reports that Sonny Bill needs knee surgery and will miss most of the season.

Well that's guaranteed Toronto's survival in Super League at least. 

[Dave T 18,547]

24 minutes ago, Bearman said:

Reports that Sonny Bill needs knee surgery and will miss most of the season.

Where is that reported Bearman? Only seen the hope that it is a couple of weeks...

[Bearman 4,145]

5 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Where is that reported Bearman? Only seen the hope that it is a couple of weeks...

Perhaps not definite

https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/36536/11955848/sonny-bill-williams-could-face-knee-surgery-says-toronto-coach-brian-mcdermott

[Dave T 18,547]

8 minutes ago, Bearman said:

Perhaps not definite

https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/36536/11955848/sonny-bill-williams-could-face-knee-surgery-says-toronto-coach-brian-mcdermott

Yeah, that says two weeks, not the year. 

[Marty Funkhouser 360]

On 27/02/2020 at 14:19, scotchy1 said:

On 27/02/2020 at 17:33, scotchy1 said:

The difference is that the issue isnt Toronto spending their entire cap plus Stanley. Its that by virtue of Stanley counting on the cap Toronto cannot spend their entire cap.

I'm simply highlighting the ridiculous situation er have invented where Torontos salary cap is calculated using wages he has earned not being able to play for them, wages he may or may not earn as he plays or doesnt play for them added to wages that two Wigan players earned when they didnt play for Toronto and where contracted to wigan and had no relationship with toronto. Such a situation is stupid for obvious reasons 

Seems like you wasted a whole load of breath and posts Scotchy...all on a false premise.

Fancy TW tuning out just as duplicitous as the rest of SL..

"Not a trace of doubt in my mind, I'm a believer..."

[Marty Funkhouser 360]

7 minutes ago, scotchy1 said:

Why is that duplicitous?

That is pretty much literally what I suggest was happening, it's also what I suggested should happen. 

It was others who had argued such a thing was and should be impossible.

Post truth era in action...

He was never on the salary cap as you ranted on about for many posts. His cap value had nothing to do with anything...he wasn't registered at all because they had no room left due to their own mis-management.

Toronto led the world to believe that Stanley had not been registered due to "visa issues". This was an outright lie. It was down to their poor management of the cap. They should have just come clean.

if you are going to argue the point Scotchy you are just as bad in all ways.

Some good journalism coming up about this and more.

[Kayakman 5,571]

Sonny Bill has had knee surgery.

[TheReaper 1,314]

2 hours ago, Marty Funkhouser said:

Toronto led the world to believe that Stanley had not been registered due to "visa issues". This was an outright lie. It was down to their poor management of the cap. They should have just come clean.

 

2 hours ago, scotchy1 said:

I'm not all that offended they blamed it on a Visa issue. Is that supposed to be a big deal?

That's kinda my feeling. Who is, or isn't, signed, registered, or counting on the SC, is really between the player, team, and league. They aren't beholden to fill anyone else in.

[mrfranco 103]

2 hours ago, Marty Funkhouser said:

Seems like you wasted a whole load of breath and posts Scotchy...all on a false premise.

Fancy TW tuning out just as duplicitous as the rest of SL..

"Not a trace of doubt in my mind, I'm a believer..."

But if it wasn't a visa issue, why would you register Wheeler, who they've now got rid of, and not Stanley, who is one of their better players?? Strikes me there must be some truth in the visa story, otherwise it makes no sense

[TIWIT 1,638]

7 minutes ago, mrfranco said:

But if it wasn't a visa issue, why would you register Wheeler, who they've now got rid of, and not Stanley, who is one of their better players?? Strikes me there must be some truth in the visa story, otherwise it makes no sense

Maybe he originally had a visa issue and TWP. just stretched it out when it became obvious there was a problem with the salary cap. After all, TWP were naively hopeful of some salary cap dispensation that of course they never got.

[TheReaper 1,314]

Sure was nice of Rugby Canada to develop Quinn for TWP