I exoect Toronto to bring a few superstar names. The issue they will have with the cap is they wont be able to balance it out with a few kids coming through cos they obviously dont have any.

Be interesting to see their fixtures next year.

They need to be embraced. The potential they have is enormous. If they can survive and bring a TV deal, sponsorship and investment to the sport it could be massive for RL but only time will tell.

Please dont reignite this McDermott nonsense AGAIN!!!! Cant we just move on?

I don’t know how you got that from what he said or how you’ve come to the conclusion that he thinks he’s bigger than the game or has a chip on his shoulder?

That’s a bizarre conclusion from his comments.

He gave honest opinions in the piece I heard. Can't blame him for failing to find too many positives about SL right now, most fans - expansionist or not - struggle and I suspect McD knows a good bit more than them about the game's current state than they do. Not saying he's right but he's definitely entitled to speak his mind IMO.

For me if Toronto aren't getting the cap money they should be able to spend what they want - either give them the money or let them do what they want with their squad. It is about time SL started moving aspirations upwards and not being limited by smaller clubs that need the cap money to finance other parts of their business because they can't generate sufficient revenues.

True.

Its time for a bit of a hard nosed approach wrt some teams not pulling their own weight.

Were levelling downwards and not upwards.

If it takes Toronto to show what can be achieved with a fat wallet and ambition then so be it, the more noses they put out of joint / shame into action the better.

'Levelling up'? Are you Boris Johnson?

We're talking about a fundamental split here, between a Super League containing well-funded, City-based sides, and a Championship for the more traditional town-based clubs.

If there were sides across Europe ready to pay £5-10m per year on their playing squads, you'd have a competition similar to the NRL in theory.

Problem is you have no infrastructure. It takes many years of youth development to self-perpetuate a club. The best way to increase the quality of the competition most people criticize the SL for, is to improve the supply of quality players.

I get where Brian Mac is coming from (and he would say that, wouldn't he?), but it will be difficult to achieve this big-City template even if the game did have a unified vision for it, which it doesn't.

If we cant get big cities over here how are we going to do it 3000 miles away or Europe?

OK So lets go back to the days of Wigan spending several times more than anyone else and winning everything

There might be growth opportunities in some places - we have historical class issues to overcome in the UK, plus a much better funded RU to contend with and a national obsession with football.

However, it’s too easy to run off to the side when actually what you need to do is overcome the hurdle in front of you.

OOFF!!

That hurts as an avowed "Lefty"

as a fellow proud lefty I apologise, but I’d avoid using that Borisism.

Oh please dont get our mighty righty going

So we've done religion, and now on politics eh?

You'd almost think our season was over

I have no expectations. We could win it or be relegated. F**k knows

Makes sense, both are comical and far fetched.

Any of the ITKers on here heard of the Sam Burgess rumour ? And dont shoot the messenger

I'm on the Sam Burgess to Leeds hype train don't you worry about that

Honestly, I have no idea if it’s SB, but someone involved at senior level with one of the West Yorkshire clubs told me that if Merrin goes back Leeds are looking at replacing him with a big name English forward from NRL.

They don’t come any bigger than Sammy, but 2+2 sometimes =5.

Ryan Sutton

He would be a good signing but i think Canberra have plans for him he has had a decent first season, won't be on mega bucks for NRL and why wouldn't he be happy there?

100% isn’t Sam Burgess or JWH..Burgess looks like he’s coming to the end of his career,shoulder problems

I wouldn't trust too much what the Aussie press say, retiring to them means leaving the NRL.

Not saying it is or isn't true mind, I have no idea.

Again I wouldn’t be too sure on Sam. If there was a forward I want in my team over anyone, it would be JWH, I proper rate him, no chance he’s at the end of his career! He is going to the Panthers apparently.