PAUL Rowley insists no-one at Toronto assumes they will be in Super League in two years’ time.
The Wolfpack may have made a stunning start to life in League One – so far it is played five, won five while scoring 310 points.
That has led to some people saying the Canadians should be in the top flight already as many dig out the record books for points scoring.
But boss Rowley is adamant that no-one is assuming they will go straight through the divisions and take their place in Super League in 2019.
In fact, there are tough tests to come this year.
He said: “There’s a lot been said about us being in the wrong league and I think we’re a Champonship side, not a Super League one by any stretch of the imagination.
“We’ve played some teams and there have been a couple of mis-matches but that’s more to do with where they are than anything else.
“We’ve played two games in quagmires, which were a test of attitude and mentality, and we’ve had a couple of heavy wins against Doncaster and North Wales.
“But we’ve got some sterner tests ahead in the league – Barrow are similar to us in every respect. I think the top half of League One is almost a different league within the same division. There are development teams as well as ones that have been around for 100 years and are tough.
“We’ve put a team together for the Championship and won our first five games. We’re planning already for 2019 but I wouldn’t want to say that we will be in Super League by then.
“In our recruitment strategy, we can plan for that but it can’t be boom and bust. We need to make sure we’re not far off Super League, though, even if we don’t get there by 2019.”
Rowley and Toronto get their first taste of life against Super League opposition when they head to Salford in the Challenge Cup today.
New signing Ryan Brierley is expected to make his debut after signing from Huddersfield this week.
The coach admits standards in training have increased ahead of the biggest day of their short existence so far.
But he revealed plans are going on for another huge moment, their first game in Canada against Oxford on May 6.
About 5,000 fans are expected to turn up at the Lamport Stadium and Rowley admitted things have to be right to keep interest across the Atlantic high.
He said: “Interest is building nicely in Canada and the first game in Toronto will be packed out, no dramas.
“There are two sides to our company really, Toronto Wolfpack and Last Tackle, which is behind the reality show that features the trials and follows our journey. There are some really exciting developments on that side going forward and we’ve lined up some really big deals.
“They will get the interest up and create personalities out of the players, which is one of the things we want to do.
“That game will be massive, but it will be an event rather than a game. That’s the key, creating events out of our matches in Canada.
“English teams may try valiantly to deliver that experience but almost every game for us has to be one and the logistics for that first one are already being put in place.
“All the accommodation for our players and the away teams is sorted – they will be staying at university accommodation over there – self-contained apartments and no-one will be roughing it. Even the media over there are so enthusiastic and knowledgeable!”
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