Vegas baby!!

[Dave T]

26 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

I actually feel for Jason Moore. He had brilliant intentions and had delivered an astonishingly successful back to back MLB matches at he SCG between Arizona and LA in 2014 or ‘15. Both were sell outs if I recall, or very close to. I remember he was talking about RL in the USA even then.

His biggest mistake was to proceed without the backing of the NRL, thinking an England v NZ fixture (and the RLIF’s Test Match availability rules) would by-pass the NRL and its member clubs right concerns for how their flagship competition could be compromised if star players were injured.

I don’t think the football bodies were ever paid, but them’s the breaks sometimes when you try something new.

I don't disagree - and it would be interesting to see how this could have done with full support. But I would note that I dont think there was a single sponsor for this event. 

I think this was the event that was the first instance of the NRL actually actively harming an international game, and I don't think they were justified at all. And I don;t think there were any major problems. We are in the business of staging rugby events, and it is shown up for what it was with the Vegas events (a power grab).

[The Rocket]

4 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I don't disagree - and it would be interesting to see how this could have done with full support. But I would note that I dont think there was a single sponsor for this event. 

I think this was the event that was the first instance of the NRL actually actively harming an international game, and I don't think they were justified at all. And I don;t think there were any major problems. We are in the business of staging rugby events, and it is shown up for what it was with the Vegas events (a power grab).

At the risk of aggravating you further in regards NRL intransigence I believe a major sponsorship for the game with a major airline fell through once the NRL failed to back the event.

[Big Picture]

20 hours ago, Spidey said:

Lines help referees mark 10m between the teams, I’m not sure having different lengths between lines from game to game would help them very much - and would probably generate more abuse at them 

Good point, I'm sure that would give Aussie refs trouble with that.  In old Aussie matches before 1993 when the lines were standardized at 20 metres apart, it's plainly evident that they weren't consistent with the distance then.

And to @fighting irish's point about the uninitiated, I can guarantee that they'd think it very strange.  Keeping the standard markings will help them understand that "it's just like football" as a former girlfriend whose son was a rugby player said to me when I showed her an Aussie RL match.  And that in turn will make it seem less foreign to them.

[Gav Wilson]

It's quite impressive how this forum has turned a thread about Rugby League in Las Vegas into one of the dullest threads I've ever read.

Well done all concerned... 

[Sports Prophet]

20 hours ago, Gav Wilson said:

It's quite impressive how this forum has turned a thread about Rugby League in Las Vegas into one of the dullest threads I've ever read.

Well done all concerned... 

Whilst I do envy you following your only other post to this thread Gav, you’ve only got yourself to blame.

Had you given us more insight into your actions and interactions of those previous three visits to Vegas, it may have just livened the thread up.

Without it, we were left to fruitlessly discuss our similar and differing opinions on topics we’ve all covered umpteen times each on the forum already.

[Gomersall]

Interesting development if true. The article is behind a paywall so I haven’t read it all personally and other than this and the same article in the Independent I can’t cross reference it anywhere else at the moment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Fnrl-to-offer-salarycap-relief-to-clubs-who-sign-american-athletes%2Fnews-story%2F5b2b2d16419217a022a3f15be4fc9fe6&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=dynamic-groupa-control-noscore&V21spcbehaviour=append

[ATLANTISMAN]

Well have booked with the wife can't wait all i want is a photo with Rick (Heard Chumley is in the nick) and the old man has passed away.

P

Edited September 16, 2023 by ATLANTISMAN

[Lowdesert]

1 hour ago, Gomersall said:

Interesting development if true. The article is behind a paywall so I haven’t read it all personally and other than this and the same article in the Independent I can’t cross reference it anywhere else at the moment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Fnrl-to-offer-salarycap-relief-to-clubs-who-sign-american-athletes%2Fnews-story%2F5b2b2d16419217a022a3f15be4fc9fe6&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=dynamic-groupa-control-noscore&V21spcbehaviour=append

I saw this last week - On a similar vein except for the dispensation.

There must be so, so many American lads drop away altogether once the pro picks have been made from colleges.  

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nrl/article-12494985/NRL-use-Vegas-promotional-tour-chance-lure-ex-NFL-college-athletes-players-rugby-league-open-trials-held-American-footballers.html

 

 

[Dave T]

The wider we can cast our net, the better. It is quite astounding the quality of athletes we get in RL from such a small geographical area. 

[UTK]

3 hours ago, Gomersall said:

Interesting development if true. The article is behind a paywall so I haven’t read it all personally and other than this and the same article in the Independent I can’t cross reference it anywhere else at the moment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_GGL&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fsport%2Fnrl%2Fnrl-to-offer-salarycap-relief-to-clubs-who-sign-american-athletes%2Fnews-story%2F5b2b2d16419217a022a3f15be4fc9fe6&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=dynamic-groupa-control-noscore&V21spcbehaviour=append

This is going to be a tangential point but it would be wonderful if this excursion could be the driver behind dispensation for developing nations players. I also can't get behind the paywall but this is a system that should be implemented for all developing nations domestic products.

Should be dispensation or NRL-funded development contracts available to every NRL club for a domestic product of any nation other than AUS/NZ/ENG. Dispensation could be removed if said player plays a certain amount of NRL games so that you're not adversely impacting the salary cap too much.

For all their success in strengthening the depth of the Kumuls, the Hunters should have had more than 1 product become an NRL player. Incentivising clubs to either take a 'risk' on a player from a developing nation or to develop their own pathways in those nations would be instrumental in bridging the gap between international teams. Obviously with the NRL the main focus would likely be the pacific but there would no doubt be clubs looking at kids from the likes of France and Wales too. 

Would be quite a handy unexpected benefit if this was the catalyst for such a change.

[Big Picture]

3 hours ago, Lowdesert said:

I saw this last week - On a similar vein except for the dispensation.

There must be so, so many American lads drop away altogether once the pro picks have been made from colleges. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nrl/article-12494985/NRL-use-Vegas-promotional-tour-chance-lure-ex-NFL-college-athletes-players-rugby-league-open-trials-held-American-footballers.html

Yes there many, a few thousand every year.  Just considering  guys who played defense (because the learning curve would be much shorter for them than for offensive players), I estimate that 1200 or more graduate of exhaust their college eligibility every year just from the universities in NCAA Division 1A as it used to be called.

Though how many would be willing to move across an ocean to take up a similar but different sport, I couldn't say.

[Pulga]

 

[Gerrumonside ref]

Hope it works and is persevered with.

My dream is (insert SL champions of your choice) vs (insert NRL champions of your choice) as part of an all singing, all dancing World Club Championship in Vegas.

Would be great.

[Damien]

15 minutes ago, Gerrumonside ref said:

Hope it works and is persevered with.

My dream is (insert SL champions of your choice) vs (insert NRL champions of your choice) as part of an all singing, all dancing World Club Championship in Vegas.

Would be great.

That would be great and I feel something like this is what the World Club Challenge needs to take it to the next level.

[Bamboozle]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/25/code-wars-reignite-after-nrls-biggest-sport-in-australia-claim-in-las-vegas-ad-riles-afl-followers

[Guest]

Mrs wants to go to Vegas, got married there, and RL in Vegas.

Might well be going. Will look into it this weekend. 

[fighting irish]

5 hours ago, Leonard said:

Mrs wants to go to Vegas, got married there, and RL in Vegas.

Might well be going. Will look into it this weekend. 

Ha! I (we) got married there too. Great place. 

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, fighting irish said:

Ha! I (we) got married there too. Great place. 

Yeah - been over a dozen times. But not since the week before lockdown.

I heard mention of a possible title fight as well and should be able to catch some NHL.

She's on the case - so looks probable.

Says something that I would prefer to fly to watch some NRL at the moment than SL.

[Bamboozle]

This would be a huge coup.

 

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/nrl-2023-bosses-speak-to-tom-brady-nfl-legend-las-vegas-2024-season-opener-news-nrl-powerbrokers-fox-sports-highlights-videos/news-story/c001133aa488d052cafad328d0fec9fc

[The Future is League]

On 26/10/2023 at 02:06, Bamboozle said:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/oct/25/code-wars-reignite-after-nrls-biggest-sport-in-australia-claim-in-las-vegas-ad-riles-afl-followers

Lets always remind AFL fans that there isn't a single professional or semi professional AFL club outside of Australia. Its a fusion of 19th century Rugby and Gaelic football played on a cricket oval and the first laws of the game were drawn up by Tom Wills while he was a student at Rugby School in England, and where he played Rugby and Cricket, hence the games links to Rugby and Cricket. Without the very English games of Rugby and Cricket there wouldn't be AFL, and another point is that the UK-AFL grand final in played on Clapham common in London

[Bamboozle]

6 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

Lets always remind AFL fans that there isn't a single professional or semi professional AFL club outside of Australia. Its a fusion of 19th century Rugby and Gaelic football played on a cricket oval and the first laws of the game were drawn up by Tom Wills while he was a student at Rugby School in England, and where he played Rugby and Cricket, hence the games links to Rugby and Cricket. Without the very English games of Rugby and Cricket there wouldn't be AFL, and another point is that the UK-AFL grand final in played on Clapham common in London

All that is true but in terms of attendances the AFL is streets ahead of the NRL.

[The Future is League]

37 minutes ago, Bamboozle said:

All that is true but in terms of attendances the AFL is streets ahead of the NRL.

Yes on receiving taxpayers money and falsifying junior player numbers in NSW an QLD

[Damien]

 

 

[Damien]

Vegas US promo in link below. Also:

The vision will be shown on America’s Fox network, inviting people to flock to the Allegiant Stadium.

As it stands, the SMH is reporting 15,000 tickets have been sold and the NRL are hopeful of packing out the 65,000-seat stadium.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by Damien

[Damien]