Picture the scene. A group of men in New Zealand decide to go on a rugby tour to Australia, Wales and England. They have very little money and will be away for a long time. Theyre not sure if they will generate much interest or if anyone will turn up to watch them. It is 1907 and the other side of the world is a long way away. By the end of the tour, the game of rugby league has become established, the tour itself was profitable and several of the players were given generous payments to stay and play for teams in the north of England. It needed the vision and entrepreneurial skills of a man called Albert Baskerville to pull this off. It must have seemed like a daunting task but he felt passionately about it and took a chance. Where would we be without people like him? Toronto Wolfpack to join RFL Canadian club to enter League One and Challenge Cup from 2017 I can see several similarities with the news on Wednesday that a team from Toronto will enter the Kingstone Press League 1 for next season. It is the result of the drive by a man called Eric Perez, the modern day Mr Baskerville. He has chosen a city that is just over seven hours flight from the England, and with an incredible appetite for sport. This could be a strength or a weakness as the market could be saturated already. It has a hockey team, a basketball team, a baseball team, a soccer team and a Canadian football side. Add that to the fact that rugby union, lacrosse, frisbee and tennis are already played there means that the people either have enough sports to choose from already or just cannot get enough. It is sports mad. Toronto: Home of the new rugby league team the Toronto Wolfpack In fact, Toronto loves sport that much that it bid for the Olympics in 2008 and came runner-up to Beijing. The city is the commercial capital of Canada with a population similar to that of Leeds or Manchester. The fact that it is based on the shores of Lake Ontario make it look a bit like Sydney or Auckland, so can it become a place where rugby league takes root?Well in some ways we need it to. The Canterbury and England forward, James Graham, made comments in Australia recently which implied that rugby league needs to grow its international footprint or the sport would just become a feeder competition to rugby union. I am not sure if that horse has already bolted James, but I understand your point. Staying still is not an option.Here is my summation of the rugby league game in the UK over the last 40 years:We have professional clubs which have existed for around a century which now have no assets and live from week to week. They just about survive but are in a professional sporting sense on a life-support machine, and have been for the last decade. They are going nowhere and havent been well-managed in the past. We have some clubs which have moved into the 21st Century and are well run, hoping that the others will improve and allow the sport to grow as well. These have been in the minority in my opinion. The weak have held back the strong. They will provide players and fans the opportunity to enjoy the sport in a new environment and they are going to encourage local Canadians to play the game. Phil Clarke From time to time we get some enthusiastic people from outside traditional rugby league lands who show an interest in the sport. However, we have not been great at helping the good ones and weeding out the bad. It strikes me that the people behind this Toronto project need backing, just as the ones in Toulouse do as well. The world is a much smaller place than it was when rugby league first started and I hope it goes from strength to strength in Toronto. We have got to hope that Mr Perez does not get pneumonia, like Mr Baskerville did. We need him.Critics could argue that we have not got rugby league going in Liverpool so why do we think we can get a transatlantic team to succeed? Well I would reply by saying that this is a self-funded operation that is not taking money from the existing game. They are going to increase the awareness of the sport in a new area. They will provide players and fans the opportunity to enjoy the sport in a new environment and they are going to encourage local Canadians to play the game.Rugby league has over 100 years experience at trying to establish itself in new areas - some good, more bad, but I have nothing but admiration and enthusiasm for the project. Ill be following the Canadian Wolfpack with interest. Also See: Toronto Wolfpack to join RFL WATCH: Super League tries WATCH: Baz and Tez biggest hits Follow @SkySportsRL Jarrett Allen Nets Jersey . - Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis said Wednesday hes "nodded off" during meetings, but he said its something every player does. Dzanan Musa Nets Jersey .“I always did my stuff ahead of the deadline. The best deal Ive ever done was the Darryl Sydor deal. We did that at the end of January in 04, and Syd was the missing piece. https://www.netsrookiesshop.com/Dzanan-M...ion-Jersey/.The Canadian teenage golf sensation announced Thursday shell join the LPGA Tour in 2015 instead of attending the University of Florida. Kenneth Faried Jersey .Jeff Green, playing in his second preseason game after missing the first four because of a calf strain, had 18 points. The Celtics (3-3) shot 47.2 per cent from the floor and made 15 of 37 3-point attempts. Taurean Prince Nets Jersey . Hicham Khalouas late goal improved Almerias chances of avoiding relegation in a match dominated by contentious calls, including three penalties. One day after Barcelonas 4-3 win at Real Madrid featured three penalties, referees again dominated a wide-open game that saw Almeria ultimately move out of the relegation zone and one point ahead of Getafe which took its place.VANCOUVER -- While Vancouver Canucks fans demand change, new coach Willie Desjardins is preaching a status-quo approach -- with himself. After spending more than two decades attempting to become an NHL head coach, and with training camp in Whistler, B.C., two weeks away, he is vowing not to change his style behind the bench. "One thing I learned is, youve gotta be who you are," said Desjardins, 57, the new Canucks coach, after taking part in a Vancouver Board of Trade luncheon Tuesday. "You cant be somebody youre not. (Otherwise), it just falls apart on you." Desjardins reached the NHL this spring after helping the Texas Stars win the AHL title. He has also spent time in the Canadian university and junior ranks, winning championships at both levels, while also serving a two-season stint as a Dallas Stars assistant. Fans want a significant improvement in the standings after the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008 last season. Desjardins, who finds it "unbelievable" that his long-held dream of guiding an NHL clubs training camp is about to come true, suggested that chances of a Canucks turnaround are better than many people might think. "You just get to see the quality of people," Desjardins told reporters. "Sometimes, when you get into something, you go: Oh, what I have I gotten into? But thats not the case here." During the luncheon with 400 members of the local business community -- as well as Canucks president of hockey operations Trevor Linden and team GM Jim Benning -- Desjardins shed some light on what fans can expect from the veteran-laden Canucks. In one notable change, contrary to the views of former Vancouver coach John Tortorella, who was fired after one season, Daniel and Henrik Sedin are likely to spend less time killing penalties. "We have to share the workload," said Desjardins. "I dont think were going to make the playoffs with one line being shut down. Theyre good at all aspects of the game. Theyre good at killing penalties and theyre good five-on-five. They can play the power play. I think youre lucky to have players like that. For us, we want to make sure that theyre able to go (and) at the end of the game, theyre still fresh and theyre playing hard.dddddddddddd So that may mean managing their minutes a little bit. We want to play with four lines." Henrik and Daniel, both former NHL most valuable players, managed to produce only 50 and 47 points, respectively, last season. Daniel also endured a lengthy goal drought while both battled injuries after seeing their playing time increased. Desjardinss view on the Sedins reflects the desire of the new top brass to have the Canucks rely on their veterans. Key additions include centre Nick Bonino and defenceman Luca Sbisa, who were acquired via trade from Anaheim for Ryan Kesler. Vancouver also added veteran wingers Radim Vrbata and goaltender Ryan Miller, who were signed as free agents. Benning, who replaced former president and GM Mike Gillis, said he, Linden and Desjardins have focused this summer on finding support for the veteran core. "Therell be many challenges for throughout the season, but I think weve tried to do everything that we could at this point to make the team deeper and give them more enthusiasm so they play with more energy," said Benning. The Canucks lack of depth showed last season as the NHL veterans and minor-league callups could not make up sufficiently for declines in offence from the Sedins and others when injuries and poor play took their toll. "We talked about maybe there wasnt the depth that we needed to counter those injuries going into that last stretch of the year," said Benning. "So we tried to add to our depth this summer. Now, we dont have to rush young players, and we can let them develop properly and be ready to come up and play when we call them up to play." During the luncheon, questions focused more on hockey than the clubs business issues. But the Canucks, used to perennial sellouts, are also trying to bolster their bottom line with more on-ice success. Linden told reporters that season ticket sales are "down a few percentage points." But he expects them to pick up as training camp creates more excitement about the team. ' ' '