It’s not like me to throw it over the sidelineToronto Wolfpack (1st) v Swinton Lions (10th or something)
Full Time: Toronto 52 def Swinton 10
Good afternoon all 4 of you who read this. It's about 10:15pm as I start to write this. A lot to get through so be quiet and let me type!
Toronto's first home game of the season on Sunday the 28th and the home team was looking for a crowd of 9000 plus. The crowd of 9562 was awesome and is in fact the highest single-game attendance for any Championship League game in history!
The famous beer tent row was packed and seemed to have more people in there, than the stands.
The new field is an artificial turf one and it is also a multi use field so there's three different sidelines, all different colours to make things confusing.
Toronto had no Matty Russell today, a shame as the highly rated winger has been on fire. Ashton Sims was in and Darcy Lussick got only his second game in the starting 13.
After two questionable flat and super long National Anthems, the game got under way in what many were seeing as another mismatch of talent.
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Toronto was receiving and the travelling Poms were in fine cheering voice on a beautiful sunny afternoon.
Soon a forward pass stopped Toronto from scoring. Two quick penalties against Toronto put Swinton in an attacking position but they couldn't score.
The commentator said Darcy was standing on all fours. (lol)
6th min: Try Toronto! Fullback Gaz O'Brien did a good angled run to the corner post and scores Toronto's first try. New kicker Wallace decided the sideline was a long way away, and missed the conversion. 4-0
There are police sirens in the background, lol - welcome to Toronto.
12th min: Toronto try! Swinton's kicks just aren't going deep enough and the Toronto forwards are marching up-field. Surprise surprise, Wallace converts his own try....! 10-6
Toronto keep swinging the ball out wide and Swinton soon realise this. Both teams are now feeling each other out. As always, Swinton's enthusiasm is great but this usually means tired players at the back end of the game. However Swinton are starting to play error free football and manning up.
23rd min: Swinton try! They have been playing well but this try is against the run of play. A 5th tackle kick by Toronto goes into the arms of a Swinton forward who shows good pace, passes (forward but anyway) to a back who shows more pace to score! A half by the name of Harry Smith converts and it is 10-6.
A bit about @Harry Smith .
Swinton Lions are delighted to announce the signing of promising youngster Harry Smith on an initial one-month loan.
The Wigan Academy star joins Swinton with immediate effect, and will be in contention to make his debut against Bradford Bulls in round two of the 2019 Championship season at Heywood Road. He is a half and a young star of the game. He's been thrown in here a bit last minute I feel and the combinations aren't yet there.
31st min: Swinton are playing well until Harry throws a ball over the side line (good one Harry! - lol)
The ref blows the whistle the exact same way for whatever the reason. This is much more off putting that I expected it to be. Everything sounds like a penalty.
34th min: Try Toronto! By Bodine Thompson. Almost a double movement but thank goodness for momemtun and artificial turf. Wallace converts.
16-6
38th min: Try Toronto! A 4th tackle penalty gifts Toronto good field position. Andy Ackers (an ex Swinton Lions player) runs it on the 5th and scores. A bad miss from Swinton there. Try is converted. 22-6
40th min: Wallace is nailed by a shoulder charge late but he is ok. A penalty suffices and Wallace himself goes for the 2 points right on half time. 40 metres out and converts it easily!
Half time 24-6.
Now as some of you may know, Jefferson the mascot got stolen some weeks back. At 5K and months to make Toronto didn't have time to do a re-make and so threw together this one and called it "Gordo": (You really should look).
https://www.narcity.com/news/ca/on/...ets-a-new-look-and-people-are-not-here-for-it
It's like a hobo found a onesie and an old saxophone!
The drums are playing and the cheer-girls march in followed by.........................
Jefferson the original mascot!!! Yes! It was all a marketing play! (Bastards) and by the amount of airtime and column inches it got, it worked well.
Jeffo (as he would be called in Aust, looks pumped to be here!)
Back to the footy!
Swinton did well in the first half; re-adjusted when they worked out Toronto's strategy, but Toronto is one well drilled and financially backed mo-fo of a team.
So Swinton need a good start.
41st min: @Harry Smith throws a crazy forward pass (wtf Harry); and guess what?
46th min: Try Toronto! Forward Dixon runs a good line, cuts straight through, palms off a few would be tacklers and scores. Try is converted: 30-6
50th min: Try Toronto! (Uh oh) Ricky Leutele scores. A tired Swinton gives away a 'not square' penalty. Toronto march up-field, swing it wide and Leutele scores in the corner. Corner you say? Yup, try wasn't converted. 34-6.
Re-start is kicked out on the full (sigh).
Toronto almost score on the first play. there's pushing andshoving in the background. Swinton are tired and frustrated and beginning to play dirty (like when Qld start losing a SOO game).
The ref tells everyone we dont need ya to come running in..we have it. I mean ref missed it but in this league touchies actually do stuff. Remember when they used to run onto the field and give reports to the refs? They still do that here.
Penalty is 30 metres behind where Toronto actually ended up so it's a shame you cant decline a penalty!
53rd min: Try Toronto! McCrone offloads near the tryline gives Olbinson a forward a try next to the posts.
It's now 40-6. This'll get messy.
Some good pressure by Swinton over the next 7 minutes though.
64th min: Try Toronto! A kick through on the last, Swinton fullback up in the line, and Wallace runs through and grounds the ball. 46-6 as one always should always convert ones try.
66th min: Swinton kick off travels high, but only 3 metres forward. Penalty Toronto.
68th min: Try Toronto! Too big, too strong and a try to the winger Higson. Try is converted. Half century time. 52 - 6.
70th min: Big running and lots of offloads and lussick didn't want to be the one to die with the ball for some reason. Threw a low ball which was knocked on. Bad luck.
73rd min: Try Swinton! It was scrappy and clunky but it worked and Swinton scores their second. By Mike Butt (teehee) in the corner.
Harry Smith misses from the sideline 52-10
76th min: Swinton are once again on the attack but once again Harry Smith passes the ball forward.
Full time! Toronto 52 defeat Swinton 10. To their credit Swinton finished full of running, yet maybe Toronto clocked off a little.
Stats: The most telling? 29 missed tackles Swinton, only 6 for Toronto
But: Completion rates were 72% Swinton and only 66% for Toronto. If they get into Super league, they wont want to do that too many times.
So it was one of those games you could have guessed how it would go at the start.
Swinton had a dig but the skill and experience of Toronto meant that they ran over them in the second half.
The next home game is on May the 4th (be with you) against the Bradford Bulls and with the Bulls only having 4 losses this season, it should be a good game!
Thanks for reading, as always.
It's now 11:15pm!
| Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
8 | 7 | 1 | 56 | 16 |
|
7 | 6 | 1 | 99 | 14 |
|
8 | 6 | 2 | 66 | 14 |
|
8 | 5 | 3 | 51 | 12 |
|
9 | 5 | 3 | 37 | 11 |
|
9 | 5 | 4 | 95 | 10 |
|
9 | 5 | 4 | 42 | 10 |
|
8 | 4 | 4 | 25 | 10 |
|
9 | 5 | 4 | -14 | 10 |
|
9 | 4 | 5 | -16 | 8 |
|
8 | 3 | 5 | -55 | 8 |
|
8 | 4 | 4 | -60 | 8 |
|
8 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 7 |
|
8 | 3 | 5 | -25 | 6 |
|
8 | 2 | 6 | -63 | 6 |
|
8 | 1 | 7 | -89 | 4 |
|
8 | 1 | 7 | -166 | 4 |
