Toronto Wolfpack’s winless start to the new Super League season stretched into a third week but results might be the least of their worries. A fine individual display from Bevan French laid the platform for Wigan to emerge victorious from what started out as a tight game, but for Toronto the three new injuries they suffered will be most concerning.
The new season is not even a month old but the pre-season predictions from many experts that Toronto’s wafer-thin squad would cause them problems are already proving well-founded. They arrived here with only 18 fit players and by the end were devoid of Jon Wilkin, James Cunningham and Gadwin Springer.
Toronto are certainly getting better game by game, but there are bigger issues for them to contend with in the near future: the club are still in dispute with Super League over salary cap dispensation in order to add to their 23-man squad.
“We’re fighting for each other and we’re improving,” McDermott said after this tough defeat. With the hour-mark approaching, Toronto had battled to level the game at 10-10, and were good value for that, thanks to tries in each half from Matty Russell and Bodene Thompson. But Wigan – and particularly French – are a joy to watch when they click. They had their erratic moments here, but when they hit full-speed they were too hot for Toronto to handle. The four tries they scored in the final quarter underlined that.
French’s second, and a long-range try by Joe Burgess at the end of a move started by Wigan’s flying Australian full-back, took the game away from Toronto before a late double for Liam Farrell added an unfair slant to the scoreline.
“He’s exciting, isn’t he?” Wigan’s coach, Adrian Lam, said of French afterwards. “We had some conversations during the week and he’s got some work to do, but when he works that out he’s going to be even better.”
After Russell’s early score put Toronto ahead, Wigan soon warmed to the task. A fine individual try from the teenage half-back Harry Smith was followed by French’s first of the night, putting Wigan 10-4 ahead at half-time. Much to their credit, Toronto responded well after the break and looked capable of an upset when Thompson crossed to level the scores. However, their injury issues, pre-game and during it, would eventually catch up with them and Wigan took full advantage.
French sparked a move that led to Burgess putting the Warriors ahead again, and from there they wouldn’t hold back. French’s second try and Farrell’s double-salvo deepened Toronto’s pain.
Wigan French; Marshall, Hardaker, Bibby, Burgess; Smith, Hastings; Clubb, Leuluai, Partington, Isa, Farrell, O’Loughlin. Interchange Bourouh, Bullock, Clark, Smithies Tries Smith, French 2, Burgess, Farrell 2. Goals Hardaker 4. Toronto O’Brien; Kay, Miloudi, Leutele, Russell; Wallace, McCrone; Singleton, Ackers, Springer, Olbison, Thompson, Cunningham. Interchange Sidlow, Mullally, Dixon, Wheeler. Tries Russell, Thompson. Goal Wallace. Referee Chris Kendall. Attendance 10,333.