SO Toronto Wolfpack's prospective new owner has been given four weeks to prepare their case for re-admittance to Super League.
It is only right that due diligence is done in the light of events this year - even taking into account the way Covid has severely impacted on the Canadian outfit more than the English-based teams who were thrown a furlough lifeline.
Wolfpack should have been a positive story - but as is always the case, whenever an expansion club hits rocky times, there is a tendency for some of our sport's most passionate followers to simply want to pull up the drawer bridge.
I don't blame them, it is that instinctive rolling up in a ball mechanism when you know you are about to get a kicking.
As much as the loyalty of heartlands fans is admirable - particularly as some of that tenacity in supporting small town clubs across the M62 is born out of protecting that last bit of heritage those places have to shout about - we do need a proper strategy.
Not a pin in the map strategy, or one that says nobody has heard of place X, so lets ditch it for somewhere more fashionable - economically our towns have had 50 years of that already.
We need to recognise that the heartlands are called that for a reason; they are the beating heart of our sport and its playing fields churn out players like a production line.
But that needs to be married with genuine model for growth which highlights areas that are strategically important, but also have genuine prospects of building and developing their brand in our sport.
Take your pick. The game needs a presence in the capital for a start.
We are all getting excited by York's signing announcements - particularly given their new home.
Newcastle continue to build and it is the most popular Magic host for fans and Coventry is a rugby-mad town and given the players that have come out of Wales over the years, surely it an area that we need to tap wholeheartedly and give a focal point for the work being done at grassroots.
Our game needs a broader geographical appeal to sell to sponsors and TV companies.
For this to happen we need to take the initiative as a sport, not to simply wait for a wealthy benefactor to take a punt in any given town or city.
And that means, once the game has settled back down, we need to go back to licensing.
That is a process that will hold all clubs to the same rigorous process that is now going to be applied to Wolfpack.
On that tick list we should scrutinise at the club's finances and backers, the support base - both actual and potential, 21st century stadium and facilities, a track record in producing players and definite investment plans for their academy in future based on a fixed percentage of salary cap, and have a clear view of what that club brings to the overall brand of Super League.
Of course, there will be winners and losers, but life in sport will be even harsher after Covid, we cannot simply tread water, hang on and try and muddle through.
(additional pictures: SWpix.com)
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