Wolfpack players take part in a team practice in Toronto on Friday May 26, 2017. Monday's deadly bombing in Manchester hit members of the Toronto Wolfpack hard. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Neil Davidson
May 26, 2017 - 12:11 PM
TORONTO - Monday's deadly bombing in Manchester hit members of the Toronto Wolfpack hard.
The majority of the rugby league team call northern England home and know the city and Manchester Arena intimately.
In fact, the wives and kids of Wolfpack players Steve Crossley and Sean Penkywicz were at the Ariana Grande concert where the suicide bombing took place.
Toronto coach Paul Rowley, who lives less than 10 kilometres from the arena, says Crossley's wife left the concert early because she had been to the arena before and knew that there could be a logjam getting out of events there. She exited through the area where the bombing happened soon after.
Both players had trouble getting hold of their families but eventually found out all were safe.
Twenty-two people were killed and 116 injured in the blast at the arena.
"It's a time when you want to cuddle your kids," said Rowley.
Most of the Wolfpack players have homes in England and stay in the former Pan Am Games athletes village when they play games in Toronto. On Friday, looking at his players training, Rowley estimated nearly all would have gone to events at Manchester Arena at some point.
With a bye this weekend, the Wolfpack players have had plenty of time on their hands. Rowley says everyone has been on the phone getting updates from home
"It's such a big massive deal over there," he said. "If you're ever going to be homesick then this was the week. Obviously it's deeply disturbing and has saddened everyone."
"Over here, I don't think you understand how bad it is back home," added forward James Laithwaite whose home town of Warrington is 25 kilometres from Manchester. "But speaking to people back home, it's terrible. It's affected a lot of people. It's tragic."
The Wolfpack, rugby's first transatlantic team, fly out of Manchester when they come to play in Toronto. The franchise joined the third tier of English rugby league this season.
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News from © The Canadian Press, 2017