Toronto vs Featherstone Million Pound Game journal

Stephen Owen visits the Featherstone camp and gives us the latest from Toronto with the Million Pound Game just 24 hours away.

Friday, October 4

With the big day just over 24 hours away, we used the morning to do a very quick spot of sightseeing before going to visit the Featherstone training base.

The CN Tower is arguably the most iconic image in Toronto, and as our schedule allowed, we decided to make our way up to the top to see from above the Toronto landscape. It's 1820 feet high, although the highest observation deck is at 1465 feet, and the views are spectacular.

Canadians are very patriotic people - and so if you like Michael Bublé and Alanis Morissette, you will enjoy the music that accompanies the queue for the lift! If not, then take a pair of headphones.

When you reach the top of the tower you can even don a harness and walk outside along the perimeter; although none of that for us as we had to dash across town to Featherstone training - or at least that's the excuse we're running with!

The Flat Cappers' training session lasted only for about 45 minutes as the players tried to stretch out their legs following yesterday's flight. One word to describe the Fev camp would be "relaxed" as the players have surpassed many expectations and know all the pressure is on the Wolfpack.

One person who won't be relaxed though is Featherstone Chief Executive Davide Longo. Along with some of the Rovers fans, he's been stranded in Iceland following the cancellation of their connecting flight to Toronto.

It's hard to not feel sorry for those people who have paid lots of money to support their side, only to see their flights cancelled through no fault of their own. Hopefully there will be a swift resolution and they can join the players out here in time for the big game.

In the evening, Toronto hosted a "fan rally" at a bar in the town. The Featherstone fans who have arrived already were well represented, including one supporter who now resides in Sydney but has flown in for the game.

Toronto owner David Argyle did a fantastic job of personally going up to everyone in the bar to thank them for supporting tomorrow's match - no matter where their allegiances lie.

Some Featherstone fans who have travelled over without tickets were trying to wangle passes out of him, as tomorrow's match is now officially a sell-out! Those fans who can't get into the stadium will be safe in the knowledge that the game will be on television. I'm told tomorrow's Million Pound Game has the potential to reach 500 million homes around the world.

Argyle tells me that tomorrow's game is also the "Million Pint Game", where the club believe they will sell the millionth pint of beer since their birth in 2017.

It's all set for a fantastic event and an unmissable occasion, that I'm sure will be compelling viewing on Sky Sports. I will report back on Saturday with what will no doubt be a day to remember.

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