Re: 2018 Bradford Bulls : Fri Sep 15, 2017 7:53 am  

HamsterChops wrote:

As someone who's obviously got a degree of interest in the Toronto club, I wonder if you can answer a question I've had for a while. Is the stand on the camera side fairly big? I've watched a few Toronto games and there doesn't seem to be that many people there, but the attendances are always pretty good. I assume they're out of camera shot?

This question is the topic of endless discussion on TRL forums! Yes, the stand on the camera side is about the same size as the far side. However, and the Canadian posters make this point, the 'norm' at Canadian sporting events is for people to move around and be visiting the many food concessions, beer tents etc. Lots of people come late, or go home early. Not many will simply sit and watch the game, which appears odd to us Brits, of course. It's much more about 'the event', of which the game is only one part.

There is a tented village at the stadium with craft beer tents, marquees with various types of food etc, and at any given point a large section of the crowd will be in there collecting food and booze to take back to their seats. Yes, it sounds a bit strange to us, but apparently the norm in North America.

The other point to remember is that the attendance figures are not given by Toronto Wolfpack, they are given by the local authority who own the stadium. In other words, not artificially inflated by the club, and likely to be accurate (why would the local government people make up the figure?)

Re: 2018 Bradford Bulls : Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:12 am  

The only issue I have with Toronto at the minute is regarding the relatively small player pool that RL has in general. Right now Toronto are 100% detracting from this player pool and contributing absolutely 0%.
In time, if they invest in a proper academy setup, this balance might start to even out and they will begin producing their own young talent. But right now an already small (and getting smaller) player pool is being drained by the introduction of a new club with more cash than they know what to do with.

Re: 2018 Bradford Bulls : Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:21 am  

Nothus wrote:

The only issue I have with Toronto at the minute is regarding the relatively small player pool that RL has in general. Right now Toronto are 100% detracting from this player pool and contributing absolutely 0%.
In time, if they invest in a proper academy setup, this balance might start to even out and they will begin producing their own young talent. But right now an already small (and getting smaller) player pool is being drained by the introduction of a new club with more cash than they know what to do with.

Is this a reasoning behind the reluctance to expand SL back to 14 teams

Re: 2018 Bradford Bulls : Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:48 am  

thepimp007 wrote:

Is this a reasoning behind the reluctance to expand SL back to 14 teams

It's a huge issue for the entire sport imo, and ultimately the blame lies with the governing body.
Go back a few years to the amazing world cup that was hosted in this country. The entire RL community was completely buzzing with enthusiasm because of how awesome that competition was. The sport was on a high in this country and the rfl should have been all over it like a rash - using that increased media coverage and international interest to promote the sport wherever possible.
Instead the competition came and went without them doing a damn thing. Instead of going through the roof, the number of kids playing RL actually went DOWN in the years following the world cup. To such an extent that RL actually lost some of it's sport england funding because our player participation numbers were so sh*t.

You couple this with the decision a few years ago to allow SL chairmen to vote on whether academy setups were mandatory or not. Like I said in another thread, these chairmen are selfish and to nobody's surprise, they voted with only the short term future in mind and chose to get rid of the reserves system and bring dual reg in instead. The rfl should never have let them vote on this. Since then, how many 19/20 year old kids have we lost from the game because there was no reserve structure for them to progress through?

To think that all this has gone on while Nigel sits there and earns more than the prime minister, it just blows my mind.

Re: 2018 Bradford Bulls : Fri Sep 15, 2017 8:54 am  

Nothus wrote:

The only issue I have with Toronto at the minute is regarding the relatively small player pool that RL has in general. Right now Toronto are 100% detracting from this player pool and contributing absolutely 0%.
In time, if they invest in a proper academy setup, this balance might start to even out and they will begin producing their own young talent. But right now an already small (and getting smaller) player pool is being drained by the introduction of a new club with more cash than they know what to do with.

To be fair to Toronto they have USA born Ryan Burroughs (10 appearances), USA born Joe Eichner (1 appearance) and Canadian Quinn Ngawati (2 appearances) in their 1st team squad. I did honestly expect a few more appearances from them but they have 3 'home grown' players in their squad without having a conveyor belt like most top RL clubs. Plus Canada's captain in Rhys Jacks (Australian born I know but still).

Ngawati is 18 years old and is seen as a long term prospect for the Wolfpack plus they have also signed Canadian Chad Bain (played with him at Dudley Hill) well if he's still there and Jamaican international Nathan Campbell to develop for the future.

For me the next step for Toronto is to give their existing 'home grown' players more game time next season. Then start building the blocks for an academy/scholarship system. Don't forget the organisation is relativity new still. And so far there are 7,000+ new spectators for Rugby League so long may it continue!

[Bulliac]

Re: 2018 Bradford Bulls : Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:18 am  

I don't have a problem with Toronto. The North American market has been untapped for too many years. Just imagine all those 130 Kg giants who don't make it in the NFL? If they still want a pro sport career then RL beckons and many of them may well be better suited to our game than the North American version. I fully accept it will take time; you can't do these things overnight, Rome wasn't etc etc..

Re: 2018 Bradford Bulls : Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:30 am  

Nothus wrote:

It's a huge issue for the entire sport imo, and ultimately the blame lies with the governing body.
Go back a few years to the amazing world cup that was hosted in this country. The entire RL community was completely buzzing with enthusiasm because of how awesome that competition was. The sport was on a high in this country and the rfl should have been all over it like a rash - using that increased media coverage and international interest to promote the sport wherever possible.
Instead the competition came and went without them doing a damn thing. Instead of going through the roof, the number of kids playing RL actually went DOWN in the years following the world cup. To such an extent that RL actually lost some of it's sport england funding because our player participation numbers were so sh*t.

You couple this with the decision a few years ago to allow SL chairmen to vote on whether academy setups were mandatory or not. Like I said in another thread, these chairmen are selfish and to nobody's surprise, they voted with only the short term future in mind and chose to get rid of the reserves system and bring dual reg in instead. The rfl should never have let them vote on this. Since then, how many 19/20 year old kids have we lost from the game because there was no reserve structure for them to progress through?

To think that all this has gone on while Nigel sits there and earns more than the prime minister, it just blows my mind.

Very good post highlighting the main thing holding the game back! Selfishness! All everybody thinks about is how they benefit from something. No direct benefit to them no interest

Re: 2018 Bradford Bulls : Fri Sep 15, 2017 1:00 pm  

According to the League Express Forum Joe Keyes has been offered a part time deal and Damien Sironen has been offered a full time deal. They will also reveal details about a new signing in Monday's paper.

Re: 2018 Bradford Bulls : Fri Sep 15, 2017 1:21 pm  

Bulls Boy 2011 wrote:

To be fair to Toronto they have USA born Ryan Burroughs (10 appearances), USA born Joe Eichner (1 appearance) and Canadian Quinn Ngawati (2 appearances) in their 1st team squad. I did honestly expect a few more appearances from them but they have 3 'home grown' players in their squad without having a conveyor belt like most top RL clubs. Plus Canada's captain in Rhys Jacks (Australian born I know but still).

Ngawati is 18 years old and is seen as a long term prospect for the Wolfpack plus they have also signed Canadian Chad Bain (played with him at Dudley Hill) well if he's still there and Jamaican international Nathan Campbell to develop for the future.

For me the next step for Toronto is to give their existing 'home grown' players more game time next season. Then start building the blocks for an academy/scholarship system. Don't forget the organisation is relativity new still. And so far there are 7,000+ new spectators for Rugby League so long may it continue!

Nathan Campbell was released early in the season along with the other 3 players that the Wolfpack initially signed from their Last Tackle trials.
They had hoped that they might be able to loan these players to other League 1 clubs to aid their development, but because they were on Canadian work permits it wasn't possible, which I suspect is why there is talk of a second Canadian club entering the leagues in the next couple of years.

Re: 2018 Bradford Bulls : Fri Sep 15, 2017 1:28 pm  

dddooommm wrote:

Damien Sironen has been offered a full time deal. They will also reveal details about a new signing in Monday's paper.

If this is true. This is statement of intent for me. At least trying to tie up Sironen. And depending on who this new signing is too.....things could be interesting come Monday!