The General 'Toronto Wolfpack' Discussion Thread

[Harry Stottle 2,695]

11 hours ago, burnleywelsh said:

Wigan losing Bateman and George Williams has reduced the value of Wigan in what way ?. Some good young players coming through there.

No the current Man of Steel Jackson Hastings you know the guy who was very instrumental in ending Wigan's play-off aspirations, and Bevan French, any ex-Wigan fan who has seen him perform in SL on TV should be flocking to the stadium the guy is box office over here, not so much in Australia but definatley over here.

[North but south 297]

13 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

Either way , it's 15 hours ago that I pointed out for a 13 team SL you'd have to drop the Magic weekend , that was the first point made , now if you weren't paying attention , that's your problem 

Why do you need a 25 game for the magic weekend? Surely if each team played each other and the magic was included you'll still play 24. 

Each year a team will play a home game at magic and an away the next year. The team that gets a bye takes a home game to a new area this could be rotated between catalans and toronto, ie Toronto play in Vancouver or Catalans in Barcelona. No need for additional fixtures.

[Pulga 883]

8 hours ago, Hela Wigmen said:

I wonder if the new challenge sought by Noble is teaming up with Eric Perez again, this time with the Ottawa club?

A source just told me the RFL has notified clubs that Ottawa will be admitted to L1 next year. 

I'd bet the house that Nobby is going over.

[fairfolly 726]

Or back to the Bulls as the new C.E.O. to be announced shortly.Who knows?

[Harry Stottle 2,695]

8 hours ago, Kayakman said:

I'm sure he is typing out a doomsday prediction for the Wolfpack on a keyboard somewhere.,,,others also.  

Not me if that comment is aimed in my direction, I actually think it is a very positve move in getting shut of Noble - no way has he just walked without a shove in the right direction -, he was OK in his role of DoR amassing player's paying top dollar to win promotion twice, but TWP had a five year plan and had that been performed to the letter they would have entered SL in a much better and prepared shape to contest in that league, you all started shouting look how good we are, we have acheived our goal in 3 years, well bad management has put the club where it finds itself now, struggling and that is down to Noble, he talks a good game, but he can't walk the walk he has been fortunate throughout his carrear from inheriting a team from Matthew Elliot, making a shambles of his Gt Britain stewardship, Wigan saw through him soon enough, he made a mess of both North Wales and Salford and now TWP.

Somebody will give him a job somewhere, but he will get found out again.

[GUBRATS 3,148]

24 minutes ago, North but south said:

Why do you need a 25 game for the magic weekend? Surely if each team played each other and the magic was included you'll still play 24. 

Each year a team will play a home game at magic and an away the next year. The team that gets a bye takes a home game to a new area this could be rotated between catalans and toronto, ie Toronto play in Vancouver or Catalans in Barcelona. No need for additional fixtures.

If it's an even number of games then yes , I've never suggested otherwise , but some have argued that you can have an odd number of games and an odd number of teams , but you can't 

The original suggestion was an odd number of teams , all I said is you then need to drop the Magic game as at this moment in time it is an ' odd ' fixture , yes if you want to mess about with fixtures and clubs and SKY are OK with that you can do anything you want , but not as we currently have them 

Is everybody clear on this now ? , Because I've had these same conversations numerous times now over the last few years 

[Harry Stottle 2,695]

10 hours ago, Big Picture said:

It's good for the whole game in a few ways.

First as burnleywelsh pointed out it creates additional opportunities for players to play the game professionally, as other players come in and take up the spaces they vacated at their former clubs.  More current players will stay in the game as a consequence.

Second and more important though, it's the key to stopping the decline in the player pool and then growing the pool back up again.  That will result from more boys and young men (both over here and back in the UK) being inspired to take up the game in the first place and then stick with it because it shows them that the game is a bigger deal than they'd have thought it was otherwise.

Third, as it raises the game's profile it will start to break down the stereotypes about it being small time, regional and having limited appeal, a necessary step to get more and better media coverage and more money from broadcasters and sponsors.

You really have no idea how the community game works over here do you, plonking clubs on the other side of the Atlantic is not going to improve in producing player's for which any numberr of NA clubs will be so reliant on for years and years to come it needs a good dose of looking at, it requires a different radical approach of investment guidence and management. It is in the truest sense of the word a collective of a number of individual entities governed by amatuers and volunteers at each club brought together by a league system at different age levels.

And you say over there, please explain to me how kids and young men are going to be introduced to the game with nowhere to play and no one to play against, it ain't just about cobbling a few teams together, there has to be a clearly defined path of excellence within a large number of clubs that the better guy's can travel along.

Edited February 21 by Harry Stottle

[Tommygilf 3,447]

4 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

You really have no idea how the community game works over here do you, plonking clubs on the other side of the Atlantic is not going to improve in producing player's for which any numberr of NA clubs will be so reliant on for years and years to come it needs a good dose of looking at it requires a different radical approach of investment guidence and management. It is in the truest sense of the word a collective of a number of individual entities governed by amatuers and volunteers at each club brought together by a league system at different age levels.

And you say over there, please explain to me how kids and young men are going to be introduced to the game with nowhere to play and no one to play against, it ain't just about cobbling a few teams together, there has to be a clearly defined path of excellence the better guy's can travel along.

Harry we've had this debate before that bigger profile and bigger interest helps the game over here. Kids tend to think "I want to be x" when they start playing or getting an interest in the game and having clubs that attract the media attention helps raise the chances of that happening. Its putting the opportunities of playing RL on another level. I agree there needs to be more done with the community game but having an increased interest in the sport more broadly surely helps?

In Canada and the USA its not up to the Wolfpack to set up these structures, though it is in their interests. Given time you'd hope there would be some synergy but given how you pointed out the difficulties with the decades old community game over here expecting the same there after less than 5 years of the Wolfpack is unrealistic at best.

[Hela Wigmen 242]

50 minutes ago, Pulga said:

A source just told me the RFL has notified clubs that Ottawa will be admitted to L1 next year. 

I'd bet the house that Nobby is going over.

Just Ottawa? Or NY too?

[GUBRATS 3,148]

6 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Harry we've had this debate before that bigger profile and bigger interest helps the game over here. Kids tend to think "I want to be x" when they start playing or getting an interest in the game and having clubs that attract the media attention helps raise the chances of that happening. Its putting the opportunities of playing RL on another level. I agree there needs to be more done with the community game but having an increased interest in the sport more broadly surely helps?

In Canada and the USA its not up to the Wolfpack to set up these structures, though it is in their interests. Given time you'd hope there would be some synergy but given how you pointed out the difficulties with the decades old community game over here expecting the same there after less than 5 years of the Wolfpack is unrealistic at best.

Nobody has suggested five years , except Mr Perez actually , what Harry , myself and others have queired is just how many other non player producing areas we can support without diluting the pool ?

[Bert1 127]

6 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

Nobody has suggested five years , except Mr Perez actually , what Harry , myself and others have queired is just how many other non player producing areas we can support without diluting the pool ?

I see it as giving opportunities. Is becoming a pro league player attractive enough? Is a relatively low salary for most and unknown status enough to ward off beers, women, nights out, a decent career/profession.

We keep getting told by players leaving to Union they go for exposure, international seen which generates the £££.

[Kayakman 4,957]

8 hours ago, SL17 said:

I hope you are well. You have been quiet recently.

Well I was a bit sick but also been very busy at work....its a time management thing!

[Kayakman 4,957]

2 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Not me if that comment is aimed in my direction, I actually think it is a very positve move in getting shut of Noble - no way has he just walked without a shove in the right direction -, he was OK in his role of DoR amassing player's paying top dollar to win promotion twice, but TWP had a five year plan and had that been performed to the letter they would have entered SL in a much better and prepared shape to contest in that league, you all started shouting look how good we are, we have acheived our goal in 3 years, well bad management has put the club where it finds itself now, struggling and that is down to Noble, he talks a good game, but he can't walk the walk he has been fortunate throughout his carrear from inheriting a team from Matthew Elliot, making a shambles of his Gt Britain stewardship, Wigan saw through him soon enough, he made a mess of both North Wales and Salford and now TWP.

Somebody will give him a job somewhere, but he will get found out again.

Don't be so paranoid Harry!~

I wish Nobby all the best as he moves onwards and upwards in RL...as for the problems you point out...well there are not major problems at TWP at all, rather just a few short term growing pains which have been blown out of proportion.

All is well on this side of the Atlantic with the Wolfpack.

"Run With The Pack Harry!"

[Harry Stottle 2,695]

1 minute ago, Kayakman said:

Don't be so paranoid Harry!~

I wish Nobby all the best as he moves onwards and upwards in RL...as for the problems you point out...well there are not major problems at TWP at all, rather just a few short term growing pains which have been blown out of proportion.

All is well on this side of the Atlantic with the Wolfpack.

"Run With The Pack Harry!"

We will see friend, anyway I hope the new Frenchie trialist you have comes up to scratch and he can go forward and make a living from the game that is whether he proves himself good enough for Toronto or his future lies elsewhere

[Kayakman 4,957]

1 minute ago, Harry Stottle said:

We will see friend, anyway I hope the new Frenchie trialist you have comes up to scratch and he can go forward and make a living from the game that is whether he proves himself good enough for Toronto or his future lies elsewhere

He will do well...don't worry...it will all work out in the end Harry.  Leigh will be back in SL again!

[Harry Stottle 2,695]

1 minute ago, Kayakman said:

He will do well...don't worry...it will all work out in the end Harry.  Leigh will be back in SL again!

Maybe, but I was hoping to be playing you again next season, one of us is going to be dissapointed, as the leagues stand at the moment we find ourselves next to each other.

[Robin Evans 2,434]

1 minute ago, Kayakman said:

He will do well...don't worry...it will all work out in the end Harry.  Leigh will be back in SL again!

Leigh are my favs this year. They're on fire atm.....

Main challengers not as convincing just yet. Too early to speculate who they will replace

[Kayakman 4,957]

1 minute ago, Harry Stottle said:

Maybe, but I was hoping to be playing you again next season, one of us is going to be dissapointed, as the leagues stand at the moment we find ourselves next to each other.

You will be playing us next year Harry...don't fret.

[fairfolly 726]

In which division Kayakman. ?

[Kayakman 4,957]

5 minutes ago, fairfolly said:

In which division Kayakman. ?

The top division...where we both clearly belong!

[scotchy1 5,120]

2 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

Nobody has suggested five years , except Mr Perez actually , what Harry , myself and others have queired is just how many other non player producing areas we can support without diluting the pool ?

If I were to say that we should only have big teams in SL you would tell us that we would only have 6 or 7 clubs. 

If we only have player producing clubs that figure would only slightly higher. 

If not producing players is a reason to exclude Toronto it's even more of a reason to exclude Leigh or halifax or batley etc. 

[Tommygilf 3,447]

2 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

Nobody has suggested five years , except Mr Perez actually , what Harry , myself and others have queired is just how many other non player producing areas we can support without diluting the pool ?

Depends on how you view the pool I suppose, also depends how the money saved by TWP not getting their share of SL funding is spent. 

What I think we all agree on is that the pool needs expanding (or at least being less vulnerable due to its concentration) and having a broader base for the sport is essential for that.

[scotchy1 5,120]

Just now, Tommygilf said:

Depends on how you view the pool I suppose, also depends how the money saved by TWP not getting their share of SL funding is spent. 

What I think we all agree on is that the pool needs expanding (or at least being less vulnerable due to its concentration) and having a broader base for the sport is essential for that.

Who, but new clubs in new areas expands that pool?

The likes of Leigh or Halifax would just be taking the 4th or 5th choice (at best) youngsters from the same areas.

If we.are going to insist on the player pool being a consideration for toronto then it is for everyone and that would mean there are only 3 clubs in with a shout of joining SL, Toulouse, newcastle and london. Everyone else will dilute the pool 

 

[Tommygilf 3,447]

7 minutes ago, scotchy1 said:

Who, but new clubs in new areas expands that pool?

The likes of Leigh or Halifax would just be taking the 4th or 5th choice (at best) youngsters from the same areas.

If we.are going to insist on the player pool being a consideration for toronto then it is for everyone and that would mean there are only 3 clubs in with a shout of joining SL, Toulouse, newcastle and london. Everyone else will dilute the pool 

 

I don't disagree. Its very often a case of people in Glass houses.

The game here in England is vulnerable whilst it is concentrated - particularly at the amateur and youth level.

[GUBRATS 3,148]

1 hour ago, Robin Evans said:

Leigh are my favs this year. They're on fire atm.....

Main challengers not as convincing just yet. Too early to speculate who they will replace

We've not beaten anybody yet