Start spreading the news.. New York would be a Magic move for our sport

NEWCASTLE has been a great host city for Magic Weekend – but if it’s time to move on after this year why not take the event to New York or Toronto?

I enjoyed playing at St James’ Park as a player, and the fact that it’s right in the city centre makes it ideal for fans who are attending.

But there’s talk this could be the last year there, and I think the sport can be bold with where it heads next.

We could look at going back to Manchester or take it to Liverpool to tie in with the Test match against New Zealand at Anfield in November.

But I think we could go further afield.

Paris and Dublin are possibilities, but what about giving people plenty of notice and taking it to North America?

The sport is trying to gain a foothold in that market with next month’s Test in Denver, Toronto pushing for promotion to Super League and a team in New York expected to be the next to enter our competitions. Magic Weekend (in 2016 Luke Gale went over for Castleford, above) has established itself as an event in its own right, and would be the perfect way to present the sport to a new market.

You’d have all the players in one place to help with the promotion – Ben Barba, Kallum Watkins and George Williams could be pushing rugby league all around the city.

And you tend to get all kinds of fixtures on a Magic Weekend.

There’s normally a classic game in there and usually some controversy – out of the six or seven matches there will be something there for everybody.

From this weekend’s games there are four in particular I’m looking forward to. It kicks-off with Toronto versus Toulouse in the Championship – and the Wolfpack have some big

questions to answer after playing with 10 men at one stage in the Challenge Cup defeat at Warrington last Sunday.

That ill-discipline will get them nowhere in Super League but we can’t judge them on one public performance and this is a great opportunity for them to showcase the best of rugby league instead of the worst.

Toulouse are doing some great things and are a real positive on the French rugby league scene.

Wigan and Warrington is second versus third, and LeedsCastleford intrigues me because the Rhinos need the win to stay in touch with the top four.

Then there is the Hull derby to finish things tomorrow night, which will be brawn against brawn, because most of the brains for both sides are out injured.

It should be another cracking weekend.