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TRY telling Dapto boy Blake Wallace that rugby league’s not an international game. A matter of months ago, he celebrated joining father Steve and grandfather Noel Fewings in the ranks of Dapto premiership-winners. On Sunday morning (Australian time) he’ll be at the forefront of rugby league’s brave new frontier when the Toronto Wolfpack, the game’s first ever Trans-Atlantic team, host their first ever home game. Wallace, who was also part of the all-conquering Illawarra Cutters last season, says he still has to pinch himself in the six months since former boss – and Super League veteran – Shane Millard set him up on a special journey. “It certainly wasn’t on my radar but I was working for Billy [Millard] and he came to me and told me about the team they were starting over there,” Wallace recalls. “I didn’t think too much of it but Billy went and spoke to them and sorted it all out for me, negotiated my two-year contract. “The fact it was going to be a fully professional side was really attractive to me and I just thought why not go and see the world a little bit and see where it goes.” It meant a quick shift to the Wolfpack’s training base in Raleigh West Yorkshire for preseason. “I had no idea what to expect, I didn’t really have an exact time frame on it and it was a bit up in the air,” Wallace said. “Then the email arrived with my flight details and they were in three days so I had to pack everything up pretty quick. “I had no idea who was picking me up so I just wandered into the terminal and the coach [Paul Rowley] was there waiting for me and we went straight to training.” The Wolfpack have turned plenty of heads in the League 1 (third division) competition, racking up 80-point scores en route to perfect 5-0 start. They also pushed Super League giants Salford all the way in a tight 29-22 Challenge Cup loss last-start. It says plenty about the club’s ambition that Wallace and his teammates were not satisfied with a close loss. “A lot of people said ‘oh you only lost by six’ but we were all pretty disappointed we didn’t get the win,” Wallace said. “We definitely competed well with them but we just made some mistakes at crucial times and dropped off some key areas. “In League 1 you can get away with that but when you’re playing against and experienced Super League team with guys like Michael Dobson and Robert Lui in the halves, they’re going hurt you.” It leaves the Wolfpack odds on to earn promotion to the Championship league next season. From there a spot in Super League awaits. It’s an exciting prospect for five-eighth Wallace, the only Aussie currently on the Toronto roster. “I definitely got that impression as soon as I arrived, from the coaching staff from all the guys working behind the scenes, that there’s some big plans,” Wallace said. “There’s a lot of good things that have been put in place and to be part of something like this with what we’re hoping to achieve is pretty special. “We’re definitely going to have some really tough games along the way. Barrow are going really well, they’re beating some teams by 80 and that sort of thing as well. “We play them in a few weeks and they’ll certainly be a big test for us but hopefully we can keep doing what we’re doing and when the time comes we’ll get promoted. Which brings him to what’s expected to be a sellout at Lamport Stadium Toronto this weekend, to usher in a new era for rugby league. “We're really looking forward to getting over there. There’s a fair bit of buzz around Toronto and they’re talking about it being a sellout for all our games there,” Wallace said. “Playing in England there haven’t been a lot of Toronto supporters at our games but you see a lot of Canadian flags. “Hopefully this game coming we can introduce people to a new experience and they can really get behind us.”

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