The idea of a rugby league team based in Canada, playing in the third tier of the UK game and with ambitions to play in Super League in two years’ time is enterprising, absurd and seemingly non-sensical.
When I first heard about the venture I had to double-check the holy spirits of the Adelaide Rams and Hunter Mariners had not risen from the dead in the guise of Canadian sports administrators.
The Toronto Wolfpack have not put a foot wrong from the moment their existence was announced on April 27, 2016, and it’s hard to see their upward trajectory ending in anything other than glory and success in Super League.
The naysayers said the Melbourne Storm would never succeed in the NRL, and yet now they are one of the most respected, well-run sporting teams in Australia.
Pre-Wolfpack, the average rugby league fans general knowledge of Canada would seem to go something like this – nice people, nice scenery, the French speaking part, Ice Hockey, freezing cold in Winter, bears, not the USA and poutine.
Post-Wolfpack, the list has expanded to include Lamport Field, Fuifui Moimoi (the number one reason I am cheering for them) and that a pie in between two pieces of white bread is not considered a delicatessen in Toronto (I believe the fancy term used in Wigan is a pie barm).
Supporters and players of opposing clubs should never under-estimate the power of being an outsider, and the Wolfpack are the ultimate outsiders, the Donnie Darkos of rugby league, and bigger and glitzier clubs such as Leeds and St Helens should not under-estimate their potential (possibly the only acceptable situation in which to refer to Leeds and St Helens as glitzy).
They appear to already have a loyal following, and considering rugby league has a vague similarity to gridiron this does not come as a surprise. The relatability of the team comes from the fact that players such as Rhys Jacks, who was playing Queensland Cup for Souths-Logan two years ago, and Irish international captain Bob Beswick are among the playing roster, giving hope to journeymen around the world.
If you grow up in rural Yorkshire, outback Queensland or South Auckland, the bright lights of a massive North American city such as Toronto hold tremendous appeal, not even accounting for the fact that all bonding sessions and Mad Mondays can be held in near invisibility, surely the previously unattainable holy grail for all rugby league players.
Despite their first loss of the season coming on the weekend against York City, the expectation is that they will rise through the ranks, with their financial might expected to overwhelm many struggling English clubs when they more than likely hit the second-tier Championship. The opportunity for pre or post-season games in Toronto will also hold great appeal to NRL clubs looking to increase their international presence.
The whole Toronto venture could be the first step on the way to another competitive international team joining the fray, or it could fall flat on its face and join the Rams, Mariners, Gateshead Thunder and Paris Saint-Germain in rugby league heaven, signing players such as Todd Carney or Greg Smith in perpetuity and changing stadiums every six months.
Either way, some of the fans roads trips could end up with some of the funniest on-tour stories ever, eh?
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