Re: Toronto rejected. : Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:34 pm  

Be careful what you wish for. The idea of a ten-team league has been mooted before. Eleven teams next year with no promotion would achieve it.

Re: Toronto rejected. : Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:42 pm  

Slugger McBatt wrote:

Be careful what you wish for. The idea of a ten-team league has been mooted before. Eleven teams next year with no promotion would achieve it.

I think that you are on to something there.
It would all tie in "nicely" with the reduced funding too.

Re: Toronto rejected. : Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:52 pm  

I’m personally saddened by this decision but looking at the arrogance of the new proposed owner who couldn’t be bothered to invest time in his pitch or the previous character who just looks to have been a total con man it’s probably the right call.

I genuinely think it could work over there and we as a sport can’t turn our back on that massive North American market.

As worst I hope this becomes a lessons learned exercise for the Ottawa Aces and the proposed New York franchise.

Tough to decide who comes up. Will be a near impossible task for them to stay in SL given most clubs are well on their way to finalising their squads for 2021 and the limited pool of quality players on the market.

I’d also hope from a Trinity point of view we are looking at a few of their players who are now no doubt free agents.

Ben Flower would be a cracking pick up for Trinity in my opinion.

Re: Toronto rejected. : Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:53 pm  

A report was prepared saying do not touch these because they doubted their actual commitment. This coupled with their attempt to bully SL into their re admission by stating they will only clear the club debts with SL status reinstated.
I am sure the 8 who voted against will be accused of putting their clubs ahead of the good of the game but surely Toronto were doing the same with their attempt to force reinstatement.
If we ask ourselves how do you think the clubs would treat any of their fellow SL clubs if they had done what Toronto did.

Re: Toronto rejected. : Mon Nov 02, 2020 6:04 pm  

jonh wrote:

I’m personally saddened by this decision but looking at the arrogance of the new proposed owner who couldn’t be bothered to invest time in his pitch or the previous character who just looks to have been a total con man it’s probably the right call.

I genuinely think it could work over there and we as a sport can’t turn our back on that massive North American market.

As worst I hope this becomes a lessons learned exercise for the Ottawa Aces and the proposed New York franchise.

Tough to decide who comes up. Will be a near impossible task for them to stay in SL given most clubs are well on their way to finalising their squads for 2021 and the limited pool of quality players on the market.

I’d also hope from a Trinity point of view we are looking at a few of their players who are now no doubt free agents.

Ben Flower would be a cracking pick up for Trinity in my opinion.

What do you mean turn our back. They don’t give a damn they have no interest at all and they wouldn’t if you invested a billion! You clearly don’t know the American mentality of which Canada is totally connected to.

Why do you even think they want a totally alien game? One played hardly anywhere on the planet. A game that isn’t even national in the U.K. and you think we are turning our back on the North American market. We need to sort our own market first, one that’s dying as far as I can tell.

Re: Toronto rejected. : Mon Nov 02, 2020 6:36 pm  

jonh wrote:

I’m personally saddened by this decision but looking at the arrogance of the new proposed owner who couldn’t be bothered to invest time in his pitch or the previous character who just looks to have been a total con man it’s probably the right call.

I genuinely think it could work over there and we as a sport can’t turn our back on that massive North American market.

As worst I hope this becomes a lessons learned exercise for the Ottawa Aces and the proposed New York franchise.

Tough to decide who comes up. Will be a near impossible task for them to stay in SL given most clubs are well on their way to finalising their squads for 2021 and the limited pool of quality players on the market.

I’d also hope from a Trinity point of view we are looking at a few of their players who are now no doubt free agents.

Ben Flower would be a cracking pick up for Trinity in my opinion.

Ben Flower give over he should never be in a position of playing RL ever again in the first place.

Re: Toronto rejected. : Mon Nov 02, 2020 6:53 pm  

vastman wrote:

What do you mean turn our back. They don’t give a damn they have no interest at all and they wouldn’t if you invested a billion! You clearly don’t know the American mentality of which Canada is totally connected to.

Why do you even think they want a totally alien game? One played hardly anywhere on the planet. A game that isn’t even national in the U.K. and you think we are turning our back on the North American market. We need to sort our own market first, one that’s dying as far as I can tell.

Well this is a bit awkward....I spent a season playing in Ottawa.

There is very much a market for a Summer sport in Canada as they don’t really have one.

I also spent just over a month in America at the end of that trip before coming home and from my personal experience the Canadians and Americans are very different. Canadians far more laid back for a start.

There is a core of very passionate people over there who love rugby of both codes. There isn’t the class clash and history that there is over here.

Now if you look at the size of Ottawa and surrounding areas the catchment area is massive.

A well structured professional team over there will go great I’ve no doubts about that but they need to get the model right.

Financially the Toronto model hasn’t worked.

Your last point kind of proves the point. One I agree with. The game is in a very dangerous place at the moment. 125 years trying to expand and still massive resistance and false dawns.

We need to look at new markets that we haven’t tried not keep on banging our heads against a brick wall.

I predict rugby league will be a very different game in 10 years time. I’m not sure what it will look like but if we keep doing what we have always done we will keep getting what we have always got for the last 125 years.

Re: Toronto rejected. : Mon Nov 02, 2020 6:57 pm  

Big lads mate wrote:

Ben Flower give over he should never be in a position of playing RL ever again in the first place.

Trinity fans used to shout the same at Terry Newton.....

Flower is a free agent (I assume now Toronto are no more) and starting to string some good performances together after a couple of below par years.

He is a tough experienced Prop who has played in and won a number of finals.

If Wakey are in a position to not go for that type of player with proven quality and leadership because of what he did a number of years ago then that’s great.

Must have some quality lined up.

Re: Toronto rejected. : Mon Nov 02, 2020 7:04 pm  

Big lads mate wrote:

Ben Flower give over he should never be in a position of playing RL ever again in the first place.

thing is this is the type of player we lack at the club someone willing to dish it out, what he did was wrong and got punished for it,
it taken a publicised peice in a rag to fire up this squad

Re: Toronto rejected. : Mon Nov 02, 2020 7:11 pm  

Sorry I’m for tw ,give em a 3 year licence ,big crowds great city