Las Vegas: Regardless of what happens here on Sunday (AEDT) when the NRL holds its historic season-opening double-header at Allegiant Stadium, the Las Vegas experiment can already be a hailed a resounding success - for now.
Unless, of course, someone suffers a season-ending injury, a player runs amok, a coach runs amok, and nobody watches on TV in the US.
But kudos to the NRL for bringing it all together at the last minute, in signature rugby league style.
Less than two months ago, we broke the story in these pages about the NRL being at war with the four participating clubs — South Sydney, Manly, Brisbane and the Roosters — over visas, insurance, and rising costs.
A promotional tour in December barely moved the needle on ticket sales. They had just gone past 20,000 tickets, but sales were moving at a glacial pace.
As it stands today, though, Vegas is starting to catch Rugby League Fever. At least I think that’s what this permanent veneer of sweat on my top lip is.
Brisbane’s Pat Carrigan, Manly’s Tom Trbojevic, Souths’ Latrell Mitchell and the Roosters’ James Tedesco at the NRL Las Vegas Launch on Thursday (AEDT).Credit: Getty
Bars, restaurants, and casinos on the Strip are full of good-spirited rugby league folk from all corners, mostly Australia, and ticket sales are now over 45,000 and rising. Recent sales have come solely from the US. There’s a Scanlens footy card deck of former players everywhere you look.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys had always set 40,000 as his attendance benchmark for the first of the NRL’s five years in Vegas. Now, they’ve gone past it.
No injuries, no arrests … so far Las Vegas has been a success
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29.02.2024
Las Vegas: Regardless of what happens here on Sunday (AEDT) when the NRL holds its historic season-opening double-header at Allegiant Stadium, the Las Vegas experiment can already be a hailed a resounding success - for now.
Unless, of course, someone suffers a season-ending injury, a player runs amok, a coach runs amok, and nobody watches on TV in the US.
But kudos to the NRL for bringing it all together........
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