Toronto Wolfpack (Million Pound Game)
Game 1 - London Broncos vs. Toronto Wolfpack
Sunday, September. 7, 2018
Lamport Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Wolfpack lose cruel tryless nail-biter as Broncos are promoted to Super League
This game Wolfpack were heavy favourites to get promoted and it showed in some parts of this game. Wolfpack were inches away from scoring their first try in the 1:14 mark of the game. Blake Wallace makes a terrific kick pass to start off the play and Josh McCrone got the try after a Walker turnover. The try was later disallowed though as Gareth O'Brien was inches offside when Blake Wallace kicked the ball.
Then the Broncos started to attack, Matty Russell committed a turnover and now it is Broncos possession and almost scored in the 7:19 minute mark of the game. Evans is hit a bit high by Jake Emmitt in the 9th minute. Sammut of the Broncos gets to kick the penalty and converts, 0-2 Broncos. In the 14th minute, Blake Wallace does another good kick pass, but Walker is there to prevent the try.
Another glorious opportunity for the Wolfpack as Mason Caton-Brown stole the ball and kicked the rugby ball across the field but is unable to gather the ball near the Broncos touch line.
A strange incident happened at the 24th minute as Pelisier is tackled by the referee and his own player in the 24th minute, he would end up ok though. Josh McCrone almost scored in the 31st minute. The Wolfpack makes a costly mistake as Andy Ackers makes a reckless tackle on a Broncos player who did not have the rugby ball and is sin binned with a yellow card for 10 minutes at the 32st minute of the game.
Wolfpack keeps pressing as Phys Williams prevents a Wolfpack try. The Broncos near the end of the second halff got a turnover with Dixon and Sammut running for the ball, but the ball ended up being saved by Mason Caton-Brown, the first half ends with the Broncos winning 0-2.
Wolfpack starts strong in the second half, with Ben Evans preventing a try to be scored from Ashton Sims. This positive start causes the Broncos to commit a penalty, which allows Gareth O'Brien to take the penalty. O'Brien converts and it is now a 2-2 game. However, straight after that penalty conversion, the Wolfpack makes a costly mistake. Blake Wallace misses a routine catch and the Broncos now have the momentum. Buchanen almost immediately afterwards commits a penalty and Jarrod Sammut of the Broncos converts the kick, 2-4 for the Broncos with 22 minutes to go.
Gareth O'Brien a few minutes later had a chance to tie the game at 4 a piece but narrowly misses the goal post. Blake Wallace in the 71st minute makes a good run but is stopped by a stringent Broncos defense led by Alex Walker. Unfortunately, that would be the last chance the Wolfpack had to win the game. Josh McCrone kicked the ball forward early in the try count and that was it. The Wolfpack fail to get promoted this year despite dominating the Championship and the Super 8's. The London Broncos, which faced hard financial times after getting demoted from Super League in 2014, return in 2019. Their revival will be an example to teams like the Bradford Bulls and the Leigh Centurions that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
For Wolfpack fans like myself, bitter disappointment. The Wolfpack were this close to Super League status. Two reasons were probably the Wolfpacks' lack of discipline and the Broncos' incredible defense that lost Wolfpack the game.
Let us keep things in perspective though, the Wolfpack before the season began were not expected to be in Super League in 2019. They lost three players over a weird incident that happened in Portugal. They played well in the Championship and defeated Leeds Rhinos in the last game of the Super 8's.
Next year, the Wolfpack are overwhelming favourites to get promoted to Super League, despite how good York City Knights and the Bradford Bulls looked in League 1 this year. They earned it with the Championship Shield and the expectations and pressure of next season will be much more than this season.
The Wolfpack in my honest opinion did not play particularly well in the Super 8's or in the Million Pound Game. They seemed much sharper when they were in the Championship season. Maybe that is because Liam Kay or Ryan Brierley are players that you cannot replace within the Toronto Wolfpack organization.
Toronto Wolfpack - Founded in 2016
Sunday, September. 7, 2018
Lamport Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Wolfpack lose cruel tryless nail-biter as Broncos are promoted to Super League
This game Wolfpack were heavy favourites to get promoted and it showed in some parts of this game. Wolfpack were inches away from scoring their first try in the 1:14 mark of the game. Blake Wallace makes a terrific kick pass to start off the play and Josh McCrone got the try after a Walker turnover. The try was later disallowed though as Gareth O'Brien was inches offside when Blake Wallace kicked the ball.
Then the Broncos started to attack, Matty Russell committed a turnover and now it is Broncos possession and almost scored in the 7:19 minute mark of the game. Evans is hit a bit high by Jake Emmitt in the 9th minute. Sammut of the Broncos gets to kick the penalty and converts, 0-2 Broncos. In the 14th minute, Blake Wallace does another good kick pass, but Walker is there to prevent the try.
Another glorious opportunity for the Wolfpack as Mason Caton-Brown stole the ball and kicked the rugby ball across the field but is unable to gather the ball near the Broncos touch line.
A strange incident happened at the 24th minute as Pelisier is tackled by the referee and his own player in the 24th minute, he would end up ok though. Josh McCrone almost scored in the 31st minute. The Wolfpack makes a costly mistake as Andy Ackers makes a reckless tackle on a Broncos player who did not have the rugby ball and is sin binned with a yellow card for 10 minutes at the 32st minute of the game.
Wolfpack keeps pressing as Phys Williams prevents a Wolfpack try. The Broncos near the end of the second halff got a turnover with Dixon and Sammut running for the ball, but the ball ended up being saved by Mason Caton-Brown, the first half ends with the Broncos winning 0-2.
Wolfpack starts strong in the second half, with Ben Evans preventing a try to be scored from Ashton Sims. This positive start causes the Broncos to commit a penalty, which allows Gareth O'Brien to take the penalty. O'Brien converts and it is now a 2-2 game. However, straight after that penalty conversion, the Wolfpack makes a costly mistake. Blake Wallace misses a routine catch and the Broncos now have the momentum. Buchanen almost immediately afterwards commits a penalty and Jarrod Sammut of the Broncos converts the kick, 2-4 for the Broncos with 22 minutes to go.
Gareth O'Brien a few minutes later had a chance to tie the game at 4 a piece but narrowly misses the goal post. Blake Wallace in the 71st minute makes a good run but is stopped by a stringent Broncos defense led by Alex Walker. Unfortunately, that would be the last chance the Wolfpack had to win the game. Josh McCrone kicked the ball forward early in the try count and that was it. The Wolfpack fail to get promoted this year despite dominating the Championship and the Super 8's. The London Broncos, which faced hard financial times after getting demoted from Super League in 2014, return in 2019. Their revival will be an example to teams like the Bradford Bulls and the Leigh Centurions that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
For Wolfpack fans like myself, bitter disappointment. The Wolfpack were this close to Super League status. Two reasons were probably the Wolfpacks' lack of discipline and the Broncos' incredible defense that lost Wolfpack the game.
Let us keep things in perspective though, the Wolfpack before the season began were not expected to be in Super League in 2019. They lost three players over a weird incident that happened in Portugal. They played well in the Championship and defeated Leeds Rhinos in the last game of the Super 8's.
Next year, the Wolfpack are overwhelming favourites to get promoted to Super League, despite how good York City Knights and the Bradford Bulls looked in League 1 this year. They earned it with the Championship Shield and the expectations and pressure of next season will be much more than this season.
The Wolfpack in my honest opinion did not play particularly well in the Super 8's or in the Million Pound Game. They seemed much sharper when they were in the Championship season. Maybe that is because Liam Kay or Ryan Brierley are players that you cannot replace within the Toronto Wolfpack organization.
Toronto Wolfpack - Founded in 2016
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