York chairman Clint Goodchild believes New York is a market waiting to be tapped.Credit: SWPIX.COMCLINT Goodchild is adamant York will not sink as the torrent of things life as a Super League club brings keeps on flowing.
Now to test themselves against the ‘benchmark.’
York chairman Clint Goodchild (right) has compared the introduction to Super League as ‘like drinking from a fire hose.’Credit: YORK KNIGHTS
The Knights were promoted as the top flight expanded to 14 clubs a week after last season’s Grand Final.
And while Mark Applegarth’s side has already showed it deserves to be there by beating champions Hull KR then Hull FC, the owner admits the flow of information can be overwhelming.
Goodchild said: “It’s like drinking from a firehose.
“There’s so much that you have to learn and it’s a very, very small window to make those adjustments.
“To get the news in late October and then to move into a full-time pre-season in November, it definitely came with its challenges.
“I’m thankful we made the decision mid-last year to go full-time regardless and to recruit that way. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been as well positioned as we are after four rounds.
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“It’s an awfully big adjustment. Look at how expansion has done in other sports or even within our own sport in Australia, how much time do PNG and Perth have to get to NRL standard?
“We basically had six weeks, but I hope everyone sees that we’re taking it seriously and that we belong.
“In pre-season, if you had said to me we’d have two wins under our belt, I’d have probably bitten your hand off.”
Despite the gradient of the learning curve, Goodchild is adamant York will not just head to the sport’s most decorated club, take their medicine then move on.
Goodchild describes Wigan as the ‘benchmark.’Credit: PA
He added: “We don’t want to go in there with an attitude that it’s not a game that we can compete in and win.
“The reality is that Wigan are the benchmark, but we’re going to know what it’s all about when that whistle blows.
“Hopefully we can go out there and do our city proud.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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