Dave Craven - Toronto Wolfpack snub means that rugby league will always be a small-time sport

Whatever the rights or wrongs of the decision to refuse Toronto Wolfpack’s bid to get back into Super League one thing remains constant – it is just so deeply saddening.

Firstly, for the players and staff – unpaid for seven months – now left with a legal battle to try and recoup what is owed to them.

Secondly, for the thousands of fans in Canada – many of whom had never even watched rugby league before Wolfpack’s arrival in 2017 – who have got behind the fledgling club with such gusto only to see it essentially disappear overnight. But also for the sport itself; rugby league desperately needed a lifeline yet, with remarkable myopia, it has just switched off its own life support.

That might seem far-fetched but it really isn’t.

Having spent 30 years watching rugby league in this country – and two decades writing about it – the underlying narrative has always been about how it is such a wonderful sport: it just needs more people to see it to realise that and to fulfil all of its obvious potential.

Yet throughout those same 30 years another constant has remained, too; the nagging, relentless ability of the sport to shoot itself in the foot.

Super League’s decision to turn down Toronto’s bid for re-entry is incredibly short-sighted.

Well done to Leeds Rhinos, Catalans Dragons, St Helens and the RFL for voting to keep them in but it was futile after seven other clubs – Warrington Wolves abstained – and the Super League executive vetoed the proposal.

Clearly, Toronto have made mistakes in the past and some of their actions under previous owner David Argyle have been questionable to say the least but, for Super League to throw it all away in this manner is painful.

This was the sport’s big chance to break new ground, expand markets, find new fans, much-needed audiences and investors but now it is left looking inwards yet again.

The clubs have the power now and that is dangerous for its future. It was thought they were acting with self-interest in mind by keeping Toronto out as it would allow them to run with 11 clubs in 2021, each taking a bigger slice of central funds and saving themselves from the risk of relegation, too.

Granted, when it was announced they would parachute a 12th club in that seemed to quickly shoot down that theory.

Yet then it emerged that 12th club would only receive £1m of broadcast monies, nearly half of what the other 11 take; it is like the promoted club, whether London Broncos, Toulouse Olympique, York City Knights or whoever, is being set up to fail.

It smacks of what has regularly occurred in rugby union’s Guinness Premiership which continues to do its utmost to become a closed shop.

Rugby league has always been a small-time sport with the potential to grow into something far bigger. Unfortunately, after this week, it is time to face a hard truth: it will, in England at least, always be a small-time sport.

It might survive – like it always has done thus far – for another 30 years or so but will never thrive. It is the hope that kills you. I, for one, will not hope any longer. At least we had some respite in the shape of State of Origin. Thank God for Origin. Wayne Bennett was even dancing. But there is still no hope here.

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