Imagine if we’d have signed him in ‘05. That ‘06 team was fantastic, imagine adding him in to that.
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
Due to players in the north not being compensated/paid for time taken away from work to participate in matches?
I have no time for Sonny Bill. No time for him at all. Chasing big bucks with no loyalty to anyone or any club. Goes wherever the next big pay cheque is coming from.
Has he really been that good?
If SBW signs I think the biggest benefit will be the clubs playing home games against toronto.
There will be people that want to go watch this household name. It also gives the team a genuine top tier athlete to market in Toronto!
Rugby League can't even establish itself in Nottingham never mind New York. Talk of trans-international ventures are just total pie in the sky; you are'nt in the right mind if you think RL can do what say the NFL can't. Even if there was a modicum of longer term stability/success, the logistics just don't add up and the synergy of a sport like rugby league suddenly becoming some sort of global game is laughable given its track record and current state. People are still so gullible, it really does amaze me.
For sure.
New Zealand played Samoa a good few years ago at Warrington, I think it was the World Cup.
I went and one of the main reasons was to watch Sonny Bill, not everyday you get the chance to watch such phenomenal athletes. It turned out to be one of the very the best matches of rugby I’ve ever watched.
Same thoughts here (Samoa v NZ game @warrington). Even in the third place payoff in the RWC against Wales on Friday, Sonny laid off some great passes with one hand which some folks can only dream of doing.
Last edited by antwnsaint; 4th November 2019 at 11:59. Reason: accuracy
The media here in Toronto is all over SBW and the possible signing. Most of the Toronto newspapers have carried an article about him. Here is one of them: https://www.thestar.com/sports/2019/...s-package.html
They see him as a David Beckham type of signing when Beckham signed for the MLS. Given his display on Friday I think most super league sides would like to have in their 13.
NRL sites confirming he has signed a two year deal at Toronto for 10 million..
Humans are more concerned with having than being.
Whilst SBW is 31, this is a huge statement of intent from Toronto and arguably one of if not the biggest signing the British game has ever seen. He is a worldwide star in both codes.
The money being talked about is crazy, but also shows the power Toronto has with their wealthy owner. It puts them in a very strong position when negotiating signings from the NRL going forward.
If SL don't capitalise on this signing in their adverts etc then they have missed a big opportunity. Some strong players coming to SL next year with the likes of Burgess, Maloney, Widdop, SBW and Fonua.
Originally Posted by Despondent Dave
He is a great signing for them but not sure how he will perform as they need more than this signing to compete.
Looking forward to seeing SBW next season, thought we had him a while since but EM said it was not on? If he offers his boots I'm in for the Grandson . Great player, hope he stays fit for us all to see.
Not sure about this- I have viewed 3 Toronto newspapers on line-and none mentioned it. A 4th had an article way down in the sports pages. Here in NZ they have been running a story on SBW and him being an unknown to Canadian audiences and wondering if his brand will catch on ( David Beckham was known world wide and was even front page stories in countries that dont follow football)