Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson courted by Rugby League America consortium chiefs as franchise owner

Megastar Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has been approached to buy a stake in a proposed US rugby league franchise as plans for a competition in America gather steam.

Hollywood megastar Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has been approached to buy a US franchise as Rugby League America consortium chiefs prepare to table a $23 million proposal to the NRL in Las Vegas.

This masthead can reveal an investor has contacted the NRL expressing interest in outlaying a $2.3 million franchise start-up fee to be part of a proposed 10-team American rugby league competition.

As revealed by this masthead, RLA consortium boss Steve Scanlan has held preliminary talks with ARLC chair Peter V’landys and will formally present his ‘NRL America’ vision at an ARLC board meeting this Sunday.

As a precursor to Scanlan’s meeting, the RLA consortium is getting serious, formally reaching out to former WWE sensation The Rock to buy a stake in one of the 10 franchises.

Johnson, who has an estimated worth of $1.2 billion, has Polynesian and Hawaiian heritage and threw his support behind the Samoan rugby league when they qualified for the 2022 World Cup final.

Now RLA chiefs want the movie magnate to be part of a proposed NRL America competition by spearheading a franchise to be located in Hawaii.

Brisbane-based businessman Scanlan confirmed the RLA consortium has reached out to The Rock, 51, to invest in a fourth franchise following the sale of three licences in New York, Dallas and Las Vegas.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson could be a rugby league franchise owner. Picture: Sean Gardner Getty Images via AFP

The development comes after Channel 9 kingpin Karl Stefanovic confirmed he had purchased an equity share in the American league, believing V’landys’ Vegas vision is the launchpad for league success in the US.

“We have reached out to Dwayne Johnson and we’ll see where it goes from here,” Scanlan said.

“We’ve got 10 preliminary locations pencilled in, but if The Rock wants to put a team in Hawaii instead, we’re open to it.

“The Rock is one of the most likeable Hollywood celebrities in the world and imagine having an American team in Hawaii.

“He knows rugby league. Dwayne has previously shown support for the Samoan Rugby League and there is an option for him to go into a consortium.

“If the NRL decides to have a partnership in this, it would be a lot easier to convince The Rock to buy a team.

“The average punter thinks $1.5 (USD) million is a lot of money for a US league franchise, but it’s not for Hollywood celebrities.

“People may scoff at this, but who would have ever thought Ryan Reynolds (fellow film star) would have bought a Welsh soccer team (Wrexham)?

“As it stands, we have made an approach to The Rock to purchase a team and it would be great to have him on board.”

The NRL currently has no formal ties to the proposed US league competition.

But Scanlan’s hope is that the NRL will be open to an equity investment, or some branding and partnership rights, after formally addressing the ARL Commission this week.

Scanlan hit out at suggestions the proposal is nothing more than a foolish pipedream, outlining plans to reach out to NRL clubs Manly and the Broncos to discuss affiliate ties with American franchises.

Johnson holding a Steeden with Australian NFL star and former NRL hopeful Jordan Mailata. Credit: Supplied

“We’re deep in this. This is not pie-in-the-sky stuff,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have put five years into this, and put my name to this, if this competition wasn’t legitimate.

“We have had some positive talks with the NRL and hopefully we can tie something down there when we are there this weekend.

“It’s great the NRL is making this investment in Vegas.

“Peter (V’landys) is a very astute businessman. He understands the market over there, the NRL wouldn’t be investing for five years in America if they didn’t think it could succeed.

“We are in talks with broadcasters and with the scale of America, it’s not out of the equation that this competition can take off.

“We could sell the 10 teams to our network of wealthy businessmen, but I don’t think that’s the healthiest thing for the competition.

“You need a balance and I would like to talk to the Broncos and Manly about having links with the league.

“We have sold three licences already and from here, we would like to see NRL teams forge affiliate links to give American athletes a potential pathway to the big league in Australia.”

‘This concept will work’: Stefanovic drops cash on ‘NRL America’

Channel 9 kingpin Karl Stefanovic has bought a stake in the proposed US Super League, hailing ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys a “genius” who can finally make the sport a smash hit in America.

And Stefanovic, an ardent Broncos fan, declared superstar fullback Reece Walsh will be targeted by NFL scouts when they watch Brisbane’s pin-up boy in Sunday’s historic NRL double header in Las Vegas.

As revealed by this masthead, a private consortium has reached out to V’landys to discuss ‘NRL America’ – a $23 million, 10-team competition in the United States from 2025.

Rugby League America consortium boss Steve Scanlan will formally present to the ARL Commission next Sunday as the NRL considers a permanent foothold in one of the world’s biggest sporting markets.

Now Stefanovic wants a piece of rugby league’s American dream.

It can be revealed the Gold Logie-winning presenter and Today Show host has made a financial investment, believing the sport can leverage the Las Vegas venture to win over the hearts and minds of 330 million Americans.

Stefanovic says V’landys’ vision, hunger and entrepreneurial spirit can see rugby league take off in the US, especially if there is a bona fide, NRL-aligned competition on American soil.

“I’ve bought into the concept with my personal Brisbane lawyer Daniel Hannay,” Stefanovic said.

“He rang me (about the US Super League concept) and I said, ‘Yes’ in a heartbeat.

“I’ll do anything to promote the greatest game in the world.

“Peter V’landys is a genius … this concept will work.”

At this stage, the NRL has no formal ties to the proposed RLA concept.

But their interest has been piqued to the extent that Scanlan, a Brisbane-based businessman who helped sponsor Tim Tszyu and Jeff Horn to become boxing world champions, will be given a platform to pitch the US competition at an ARL Commission board meeting in Vegas this week.

Scanlan first met V’landys a fortnight ago in Sydney, where he outlined plans for the “most professional proposal that has been seen in the history of American rugby league”.

Ezra Mam and Reece Walsh at training in LA. Picture: Instagram/@brisbanebroncos

RLA investors, which include Stefanovic, believe a successful, robust US competition – with official NRL backing – could help the sport with the gaming and broadcast benefits V’landys hopes to derive from their five-year Vegas deal.

V’landys is adamant there is a niche market for rugby league in the US and Stefanovic believes Broncos whiz-kid Walsh will send NFL scouts into a signing frenzy when they see him in the flesh at Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.

“You can quote me on this … Reece Walsh is the guy most likely to light up the US agents come Sunday,” Stefanovic said.

“It’s super hard to transition to the NFL, but Walsh has got it.

“And he’s young enough.”

The code’s greatest coach, Wayne Bennett, insists the NRL must have a sustained presence in America for rugby league to truly succeed. An NRL America competition would be a huge step forward in credibility.

“Of course it (an NRL America competition) could be a success, but we have to be fair dinkum with it,” said Bennett, who was among the pioneers of State of Origin’s historic game in Los Angeles in 1987.

“I first went to the Denver Broncos in 1988 to build a relationship with the Brisbane Broncos and at the time, soccer was a minor game in America.

“Forty years on, it’s a huge game in America.

“Rugby league can go on a similar path and now the other trump card we have is the women’s game.

“I don’t believe American Football has a women’s game, so we can recruit females to play rugby league in America.

“The country is enormous and there’s plenty of athletes who don’t make the cut in the NFL.”

The NRL is making a big play to crack the US market.

Broncos assistant John Cartwright, who coached the USA in 2004, believes a fully-fledged rugby league competition would be sensational.

“An NRL competition over here would definitely help,” he said.

“If they could fund players to come over and form the basis of teams. I know content for TV is always something Americans are looking for and Americans love contact sport. They are very competitive and love sport in general.

“To get a competition up and running, get it on their screens and give them something to look at it would be great, but you need to get players over here and work on their development.

“There’s nothing American athletes can’t do. They are big, fast and strong. It would take a lot of money and resources, but it’s definitely possible. It’s just the intricacies of the game they have to learn. Our guys going to America struggle with their game (NFL) and vice-versa. Just the subtle things you learn from the first time you pick a football up, it won’t be there for those guys coming out of college.

“But the athletic potential is there if we invest in it.”

Originally published as Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson courted by Rugby League America consortium chiefs as franchise owner