Talking RL: Why Wigan Warriors have little margin for error

We saw the old (Catalans imploding) and the new (‘six again’, no scrums) and the bizarre (no fans but fake crowd noises).

And we witnessed a quite remarkable comeback from Leeds to snatch a nail-biter against Huddersfield in golden point, watched by an encouraging, peak TV audience of 400,000.

All of which served to whet the appetite even more for Wigan’s return to action this Sunday after five – count it, five – months off.

Before the campaign was halted, Adrian Lam’s side were cruising along quite nicely.

Now, with just 14 games to go, only four spots in the play-offs and only two points splitting the top eight teams, it is going to be a fascinating scramble.

My optimism about Wigan’s prospects has grown, simply as I believe the congested fixture list will favour sides with more depth and a deeper talent pool.

Case in point: They have three frontline props missing this weekend... but there is no crisis in the prop department.

Leeds and St Helens also have plenty of quality in reserve, and it’s no surprise they are among the bookies’ favourites along with Warrington.

We’ve been told we may have limited crowds back next month – something which seems wildly optimistic to me, given I’m not allowed in my parents’ back garden.

But regardless, Super League is back, Wigan are back.

The wait is over.

My daughter saw a new iPhone on sale on Facebook for less than a tenner.

To which I replied with the old like: “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

The line became a cliche for a reason.

And really, when you think of the messy Toronto Wolfpack affair, perhaps it should not have come as a surprise.

Here was a club that, from the start, said it would take none of the central money other clubs get (around £2million in Super League).

On top of that, they would pay all their own airfare to and from Canada – as well as cover the cost for their opponents and officials.

Reports of unpaid debts were massively overshadowed by the recruitment of superstar Sonny Bill Williams this year.

But the club was built on sand, paying too much for some average players and surviving on the millions provided by David Argyle.

Yes, the coronavirus crisis may have rocked them more than most. But it was no shock to me that Argyle decided to walk away.

The sport has had many other rich investors (Sir Richard Branson, Marwan Koukash) who soon moved on.

Expansionists may shed a tear. Others - who thought the idea of a Toronto club too zany from the start - may rejoice.

Me?

History taught me not to get my hopes up. I wanted it to work, I admired them for signing Sonny Bill and I liked the cosmopolitan feel the club gave Super League.

I questioned the logic of expansion into Canada and the logistics of travelling for matches.

It’s disappointing for the players and staff who have been let down and gone unpaid. Many, like Ben Flower, are waiting to see what their future holds.

But perhaps the biggest disappointment is the loss of those thousands of Wolfpack fans – a whole new marketplace for the sport - who will seek enjoyment, and spend their money, elsewhere.

Featherstone, London and Leigh have offered to take their place in the top-flight next season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Wolfpack survives, albeit in a different location.

Ottawa effectively bought Hemel’s place in the league and moved it overseas.

New York and Newcastle are reportedly the front-runners to do the same with the Wolfpack.

If that’s the case, Newcastle would seem the safer bet, given the work Denis Betts and his Thunder have already done in the area, their financial backing, their venue, their ties with the Magic Weekend and – of course – the fact having another club in this country is easier.

If that be the case, if Toronto doesn't see another rugby league game live, it will close another bizarre chapter in rugby league’s history.

Before a tackle had been made or a metre gained in the opening match, Israel Folau had provided the main talking point.

He stood while his team-mates, opponents and the officials knelt in support of Black Lives Matter.

Both Folau and – if they knew – his club would surely have known this would become an issue. The issue.

And Steve McNamara’s explanation that it was a “personal choice” didn’t cover the reason why.

Folau himself wasn’t interviewed and has since remained silent, publicly.

So far, all we’ve had is a “Catalans insider” telling the Daily Mail that it was for spiritual, not political, reasons.

That because of his devout, conservative religious beliefs, he will only kneel before God.

His stance doesn’t mean he’s against racial equality – as a Polynesian, he may well have had first-hand experience of racism – but that the gesture of kneeling is reserved only for his deity.

I may disagree with that logic, you and others may as well – not to mention the many Christians on the pitch who had no problem taking a knee.

But perhaps if he or his club had made it clear that was his interpretation of his faith, many who had grasped their pitchforks on social media may have thought twice.

Folau’s under no obligation to explain his reasoning, of course. But it may have averted an unnecessary controversy if he had.

It’s a different subject, but it was no less controversial when ex-Latics player James McClean refused to play with a Remembrance Day poppy on his shirt.

Yet once he explained his reasons – he is from Derry, and the poppy symbolises the Bloody Sunday massacre – we had a better understanding why and we could respect his decision.

Regardless of whether you agree with it or not.