Paper Talk: Clubs who voted against Ottawa revealed, Hull’s marquee signings, Coote up for GB

James Gordon

We’ve had a flick through the morning papers.

Vote count 19-4 in favour of Ottawa
Ottawa look set to play in League One next season after clubs approved their relocation from Hemel by a majority of 19 to 4, reports League Express. The four clubs that voted against were Hunslet, Leigh, Rochdale and Widnes. Both Ottawa and New York presented details of their bids to join the RFL structure in 2020 at a meeting of clubs last week.

Hull’s recruitment push
Hull owner Adam Pearson says the club will bring in “five or six” players from Australia at the end of the season, and says their policy of not signing marquee players will be tested, he told League Express. Pearson says the Airlie Birds’ squad size will be reduced, and that comes after a week in which they said goodbye to three players – Hakim Miloudi, Danny Langtree and Fetuli Talanoa.

Coote puts hand up for GB
In-form St Helens full-back Lachlan Coote has put his hand up for selection for Great Britain at the end of the year, even though he says he would feel guilty taking a place from another player. The Scotland international has only won three international caps but said to League Express: “There are probably people who really deserve it, but make no mistake about it, I’m putting my hand up for selection.”

North American dream
Bosses of the new New York team says that one day English clubs will be begging to join them in an American league, reports League Weekly. Ricky Wilby said: “If we’re being successful, then ideally you’ll see our team full of Americans and we would get to the point where we could have a North American league, our own Super League, where RFL member clubs are coming to us and saying ‘we want to play in your league.'”

Wakefield on the look-out
As if Wakefield’s progression wasn’t remarkable enough, they are doing it with a raft of injuries. That may see them turn to the transfer market, reports League Weekly, with former winger Mason Caton-Brown still being linked as well as out of favour St Helens wideman Adam Swift.

Support rugby league in the media and subscribe to League Express or League Weekly, as well as checking out the regular coverage of the sport in The Mirror, The Sun, The Guardian and other national newspapers; the more you read, the more there’ll be.