Is it worth judging Toronto Wolfpack this season?

Welcome back to From The Terraces, the weekly column where I choose a hot topic within the rugby league community, and discuss my opinions. This week I look at Toronto Wolfpack, and discuss their current position in the Kingston Press League 1.

Well, we are just five games into the Kingstone Press League 1 season and Toronto Wolfpack sit top of the league with five wins from five, having scored 310 points and only conceding 37.

So far, Toronto have won 76-0, 24-10, 48-21, 82-2 and 80-0. What’s most worrying about these results is that they’ve all come away from their home ground in Toronto, and I worry about the damage they could do with sides having to travel down to them.

Having said that, they can only beat what’s in front of them. It’s not their problem that they were placed in League 1 and forced to make their way up.

Don’t get me wrong, I think they were placed in the right League. This is not me moaning and groaning about Toronto and the RFL.

But the RFL can’t win. If they would have fast-tracked them into the Championship there would have been the same amount of people moaning than there is now.

So, either way, people will always find something to moan about.

The fact there are complaints towards them for starting in League 1 and making their own way up is crazy. However, seeing the results week in, week out is a bit of a pain. I can’t imagine what the fans of the other League 1 sides are feeling.

Their only bonus is that they’ll be on TV twice a year. But do you really want to be on TV getting absolutely hammered?

The funny thing is, every single fan of rugby league thought that they would win that league this season anyway. So, does it matter how they win it? In fact, it’s rather impressive the way they’re doing it.

The whole part-time vs full-time debate will go on forever, and it has always been a tough thing to handle within our sport. You can’t blame Toronto for that.

At the start of the season, on paper it was clear to see that Toronto had by far the most superior squad in that league, and in fact it is much stronger than most of the Championship squads too.

So far this season, it’s been clear to see that they are not just superior on paper. Not only have they won all their league games, but they also beat Championship club London Broncos 30-26 in the Challenge Cup.

They have been rewarded with their toughest test of the season, as they face Salford Red Devils this Sunday in the next round.

“It’s a fabulous tie. They’re a top-six Super League team who are playing really well and have a smattering of stars. We’re clearly the underdogs but we want to put a marker down.”

(Toronto Wolfpack Director of Rugby, Brian Noble)  

That will be a great game for Toronto, and rugby league, as it will see them face a Super League side for this first time in a competitive match. It’s just a shame that it’s not on TV.

What can be said about Toronto is that they’ve already brought a lot more fans and attention to the game we all love. Their marketing so far has been brilliant, and the fact they managed to get all their league games shown live on Premier Sports is another bonus.

When it was first announced, I wasn’t a huge fan of the whole concept of bringing a Canadian team into our league, but over time, the idea has grown on me.

“However, we’re in it to win it. It would be fantastic to be in Super League within five years, it’s an achievable goal in my opinion.”

(Toronto Wolfpack CEO, Eric Perez)

It’s going to take time for them to get where they want to be, but I really do see them being in Super League, within the next five years.

This concludes the thirteenth edition of From The Terraces. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on the Toronto Wolfpack, in the comments below.