Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2016 21:00:04 GMT
Absolutely brilliant idea by RL for me, in the USA and Canada there is a huge number of supremely talented athletes who go through the college system and just miss out on pro football. Unlike RL unless you play NFL or in the Canadian Football League there are no amateur versions of the sports meaning that athletes either make it for find a different athletic outlet. The basic skill sets are not overly dissimilar and the physical attributes they possess lend themselves to rugby. The TV program idea looking for players while not new should suit the North American audience and the 4 games at home followed by 4 games away is a good way to combat the significant travel, you'd hope that there quickly follows suit a team in the North Eastern US, a team in New York would I'm sure find more than enough ex pat Brits, Aussies and Kiwis to entice a decent crowd. We often knock RL for not trying, in this case for me our hats should be doffed. just hope that Noble isn't in charge of any payments, he seems to have previous for salary cap infringements  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 5:35:20 GMT
If you don't try you'll never know if it fails. Something that I forgot to mention is that there is a professional rugby union competition starting/just started n the States, now I'm not a Union hater but if we ignore this before we know there will be to much of an uphill struggle to actually make any inroads with RL.
|
|
|
|
Toronto
Apr 28, 2016 5:41:06 GMT
via mobile
Post by Astleyred on Apr 28, 2016 5:41:06 GMT
I get it, but for the life of me cannot see it being working.
Really hope I'm proven wrong and I don't become one of the "told you so's".
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 5:56:30 GMT
I think the possible gains outweigh the losses, especially when they have a decent backer, what will make the sport succeed over there is TV coverage, the North American market is all for fast paced, high impact sports and there as we all know is nothing to compare to RL for this.
They would love someone in the MCB mould over there, one of the quickest rugby players of either code in either hemisphere, pretty certain if RL had enticed Carlin Isles or Takudzwa Ngwenya at the right time in their careers they would have been sensations.
|
|
|
|
Post by Carnster on Apr 28, 2016 7:08:21 GMT
I don't see the harm in trying to do this. It can only benefit the sport no matter whether it succeeds or ultimately fails. I understand that people think the RFL should be doing more to expand the game closer to home, and I'd agree with them. The trouble is, we could be waiting for eternity for that to happen as they've not got a great track record in making any big decisions let alone correct ones. Toronto has literally fallen in their lap, and the fact that the people behind the scenes there have sorted it so quickly means that they are obviously in good hands. North American sports teams regularly travel huge distances for domestic games so that side of things is no big deal. It troubles me a bit that Noble is involved as I think his tenure in our game had fizzled out a long while ago. Whether it ultimately succeeds will be down to producing its own talent, and with the right processes in place that could easily happen. Canada produces plenty of contact sport athletes and may lure some of the Canadian RU players its way. I know Canada had a small number of amateur teams playing in a small NA comp, so it seems like there is already a small but obvious track for local RL players to progress up the tiers.
Time will tell. But it deserves our support regardless of our doubts.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 7:17:42 GMT
Think more than anything Noble has been brought in for the name, regardless of how his tenure at Salford panned out his name still holds Kudos with many within the game, a prime example is his friendship with Andrew Voss, you can pretty much guarantee that Vossy will plug the Canadian team heavily, if he is commentating on a Fox sports game this weekend think you'll here him mention it and he is already promoting it on Twitter. Doubt he would be so pro it if his mate Noble wasn't involved.
|
|
|
|
Toronto
Apr 28, 2016 7:18:20 GMT
via mobile
Post by bandgeekmafia78 on Apr 28, 2016 7:18:20 GMT
I haven't made up my mind on this one yet, but hopefully its a success.
However, I'm hearing that plans are in place to give Toronto special dispensation with regards to the salary cap. Can someone shed some light on this?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 7:40:38 GMT
Is there a salary cap at that level? I'd have no issue with them getting dispensation, obviously the RFL want them to work through the leagues and you'd think that is the best route for them, win the league they start in and a couple of season in the Championship would seem ideal, hopefully after that a tilt at SL, would kill for a trip to Toronto to watch Salford, beautiful part of the world - that's what it's all aboot Oh and if the game was the right time of year a trip over to Detroit for a Red Wings game, I'm liking this idea. |
|
|
|
Post by ayresrock on Apr 28, 2016 8:08:33 GMT
The trouble is 20 years ago we tried a very similar experiment with PSG and look how that crumbled. If we are to try things of this nature it has to be done on good building blocks. Catalans have been much more successful because rugby league in that region was established and had local teams playing a decent standard. This though I only see ending up in the same place as the PSG situation i'm afraid. Still I wouldn't mind an away draw against them next season in the Challenge cup  |
|
|
|
Post by salfordexile on Apr 28, 2016 8:17:04 GMT
I have just read Phil Clarks article on Sky Sports about this and I have to agree with a lot of the points he puts forward (and I don't often agree with him). We have to try these expansions for the sake of the survival of the sport, and risks have to be taken if we want to advance.
I agree that more should be done to expand the sport in this country particularly in Cumbria but as he mentions in his article and rightly so that several Heartland teams have been surviving on a week by week basis for decades now. We ourselves were probably guilty of that in the past. But ultimately those teams are holding the sport back. Look at Wakefield who play in a busted old ground which isn't fit for purpose and haven't added investment for years clinging on by the tips of there fingers. At least this Canadian team will be pumping some money in which is ultimately what will push the sport forward.
The thing is though that there should be a bigger plan in place to develop their own league in Canada and the same should apply with Catalans and the other French sides. Develop the interest with a flagship team and then set up competitive leagues of there own which the flagship teams should feed into and develop before breaking away on there own. in My eyes that is how we develop the game.
|
|
|
|
Post by bandgeekmafia78 on Apr 28, 2016 8:19:15 GMT
Is there a salary cap at that level? I'd have no issue with them getting dispensation, obviously the RFL want them to work through the leagues and you'd think that is the best route for them, win the league they start in and a couple of season in the Championship would seem ideal, hopefully after that a tilt at SL, would kill for a trip to Toronto to watch Salford, beautiful part of the world - that's what it's all aboot Oh and if the game was the right time of year a trip over to Detroit for a Red Wings game, I'm liking this idea. Playing Devil's Advocate for a minute - if Toronto are given dispensation on their salary cap, how is that fair on other teams aiming to win promotion to the Championship or Super League? We just got a hefty wrap on the knuckles for doing the same thing! |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2016 8:27:19 GMT
There's a difference though between trying to hide and cheat and being open and offered it.
For me if they get it good, if not they work harder, we cheated, we got caught man up and take your punishment Doc.
|
|
|
|
Post by bonitared on Apr 28, 2016 8:55:09 GMT
We must give this a try.
The odds are stacked against it, and the costs will ultimately be unsustainable.
I really hope I'm wrong
Forget the salary cap and how unfair it would be,just give it a chance to flourish
|
|
|
|
Post by redunderthebed on Apr 28, 2016 12:08:07 GMT
RL is nothing if not ambitious!
Let's give it a go and see how it pans out. I really hope it succeeds. It is hard to see how sustainable it will be but if they can get to SL and have the likes of Wigan, Leeds and saints as regular guests it has a chance. If they can some games v NRL teams too then who knows. The hope has to be that it generates enough interest to get a semi pro league over there
I think a bigger salary cap for a new team in a development area is no issue at all, if we want the game to expand (which I do). But, as I understand it, in this case it is to cover the costs of Toronto paying for all the other teams to travel over there
|
|
|
|
Post by scoot on Apr 28, 2016 17:58:42 GMT
The really frightening/exciting thing about this is, if they make a real go of it and it mushrooms the Canada international team, could soon be beating us and Australia and New Zealand
If Canada make a real go of it the USA could soon follow, so Salford have to make sure they are in the top four for years to come,to be in that top elite
|
|
