Las Vegas video special: NRL handed keys to Sin City; inside NRL’s UFC partnership
Rugby league’s second Las Vegas venture has exploded in popularity, with security forced to close the launch of the NRL’s Fan Hub after being overwhelmed with interest. WATCH the video.
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The NRL has already caught the eyeballs of more than one million Americans as the second Las Vegas venture exploded in popularity.
The doors were forced to be closed at the launch of the NRL’s Fan Hub at Resorts World on Thursday after the NRL was handed the keys to Sin City.
Security had to deny entry to hundreds of fans as the venue was overwhelmed with interest, with scores of supporters lining the outside of the hub to get a taste of the atmosphere.
It was the English fans, some fresh off the plane, who arrived at least half an hour before the doors opened, and proceeded to take their place inside the hub and spent four hours drinking, singing and socialising until NRL CEO Andrew Abdo officiated the launch.
Accompanying the travelling English were hordes of Australian fans in all variety of NRL jerseys, as they unveiled the eight teams that will take to the field at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Penrith Panthers legend Royce Simmons was in attendance, as was NRL and Super League great James Graham and former cricketer Mike Whitney, while former English star Brian Carney turned up in an Elvis costume.
ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys kept the rock theme going as he banged the drum of Canberra Raiders fan, Simon Tayoun, who had travelled to Vegas from Sydney.
“How good’s this?” Simmons said after arriving in Vegas following four days in Los Angeles.
The NRL is expecting a crowd of about 50,000 for the women’s Test match, Super League clash and two NRL premiership games.
But CEO Andrew Abdo said data had shown Americans were engaging with the sport in just its second year in the US.
“It’s a five-year business case and long-term plan to take what we think is the best sports competition in the world and globalise,” he said.
“Why not come to America? It’s a massive sports market where the fans are so passionate.
“We’ve got new sponsors, great response to ticket sales and it’s already starting to return on investment.
“It’s about taking great athletes, great competition and showcasing it to as many fans as possible.
“It’s not just about how many fans come to the game this weekend. It’s about how many fans we can get interested in the sport throughout this season, watching on television, streaming, playing NRL fantasy, following the stories and choosing a club.
“The long-term plan for that is to get engagement here, measured by how many subscribers we have and how many people we have watching highlights and videos.
“This year we had over 1 million people in America actively engaging. Now we want to convert them into being active fans.
“That takes a while, but it’s the road we’re heading on.”
The healthy contingent of fans from Wigan took centre stage with their deafening singing, which caused the event to be paused numerous times.
There were cheers for the four NRL club captains on show as well as some boos for Penrith leader Isaah Yeo, potentially due to the fact he’s won four straight premierships.
The NRL will hold a much larger fan event at the famous Fremont Street on Thursday night, which was the highlight of last year’s Vegas extravaganza.
“The response of the fans has been phenomenal,” he said.
“We’ve got the fan hub going every day and they’ve travelled from far and wide. We certainly heard the English fans today.
“They’re all enjoying being together, enjoying the week and being with the players as well.”
NRL STARS HEIGHTS FRIGHTS
Tourists one day, opponents the next. Welcome to rugby league Las Vegas style after five players from the four NRL clubs travelled to the Grand Canyon via helicopter to help launch the start of the 2025 season.
Penrith duo Scott Sorensen and Mitch Kenny were joined by Canberra’s Jamal Fogarty, New Zealand’s Jackson Ford and Cronulla’s Billy Burns to take in one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
The players stood perched, in full playing kit, on the iconic skywalk at Grand Canyon West. The 3m wide, 21m long horseshoe shape observation deck giving breathtaking views of the surrounding area.
Fogarty is used to lining up pressure conversion kicks. But this was totally different for the Raiders half.
“I was pretty nervous,” Fogarty said. “I don’t like heights. There were a couple in the team who would’ve been too daunted to come out. There are a couple too who were jealous that they couldn’t experience this.
“My first 10 steps was very daunting. I had this weird gut feeling deep down, I was very uncomfortable. Goalkicking is a lot different … you dream of that stuff. I don’t dream of standing out here standing 400 foot above nothing.”
Ford added: “It’s breathtaking and scary looking down there ….the helicopter flight was unreal.”
It has all been part of the build-up to the NRL’s second season launch in Las Vegas. There have been visits to The Sphere, pool parties, ice hockey games, UFC visits and, of course, training for the matches.
Four-time Penrith premiership winner Sorensen said his side enjoyed their first few days before turning their attention to beating Cronulla.
“On one hand you have the lights and the casino and what Las Vegas has to offer, then you come out here and to get this opportunity is pretty incredible,” Sorensen said. “I can’t wait to go and see the stadium.
“At the start of the week we had two back to back days training on Monday and Tuesday which got the group back together, back in routine which was really good. That’s when it started to sink in that we’ve enjoyed ourselves, taken it in and now it’s time to dial it in.”
VIDEO: NRL’S UFC VEGAS PARTNERSHIP
It is the $22 million facility that has become the home away from home for the NRL’s Las Vegas teams.
The UFC performance Institute is a state-of-the-art training centre that has been used by all eight teams who have descended on Sin City for the NRL’s Vegas extravaganza.
In the process, they have swapped ideas and information on high performance with some of the key figures at the UFC. The facility was opened eight years ago to much fanfare but the UFC has already outgrown it.
At any moment, 100 or more UFC fighters will take advantage of free access to the gym, wrestling mats, rehab facilities and cafeteria. If you have a UFC contract, the door is always open.
Earlier this week, as Penrith went through their paces in the gym, light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev was using an altitude machine – believed to be worth more than $500,000 – to prepare for his title fight against Alex Pereira next weekend.
The chamber simulates the oxygen levels at the top of Mount Everest and helps treat injury and deliver more oxygen to the lungs.
Athletes from the latest series of The Contender – the show that catapulted UFC into the mainstream – were lounging in the lobby as they waited to film their next episode.
This masthead was given an exclusive tour of the performance institute this week by UFC vice president of performance Duncan French, the man charged with overseeing the NRL’s combine this weekend.
SWAPPING IDEAS
French was born in the north of England in Leeds, so he has an affinity to rugby league given the city is home to one of the most famous teams in Super League, the Rhinos.
He insists that the UFC gets as much out of the week as the NRL sides that visit. Asked about exchanging ideas with some of rugby league’s sharpest minds, French said: “That’s happening a lot this week.
“We are doing that on an informal basis but we are going to be having some informal medical meetings.
“We’re bringing all those minds together and figuring out as a group how we can improve – all tides raise all ships. That is philosophically where we are at.
“Tapping into other intellectual property from different teams and different sporting codes is always exciting.
“A lot of the NRL teams are not only doing their strength and gym-based work with us, but they are doing a lot of wrestling and grappling.
“They are talking to some of our guys. I know the NZ Warriors use a current UFC rostered fighter to do their training. It was good to compare notes a little bit with the NRL boys.
“Whenever we get rugby teams coming through they are always asking to do some sessions with our staff or our fighters to understand ground control, the rucking for the ball is really important.
“People like Tai Tuivasa, he was a former rugby league player, Volk (Alex Volkanovski) was a rugby league player. You look at how they have transferred that to their dominance on the ground.
“I think there is a lot of synergy between the two sports.”
THE COMBINE
French is overseeing the NRL Combine, which will feature 40 American athletes hellbent on securing one of the four contracts on offer.
French insists the talent on show will exceed last year. Part of the process will involve the athletes being put through their rigours at the UFC performance institute, with the best of the best being offered contracts with NRL clubs.
French feels a level of responsibility as the overseer of the combine. NRL clubs and officials are relying on the UFC and their expertise as they prepare to make big calls on whether to give Americans a shot at the big time.
Rugby league’s new trailblazer could emerge this weekend. Once one American athlete cracks the code, there is every chance more will follow.
“The gym based assessments will be here at the UFC,” French said.
“We have 40 athletes from around the US – 20 men and 20 women. It is absolutely better this year in terms of what their current skills are and where they are coming from.
“We have Olympians, people who are on the national sevens circuit for rugby union, we have legitimate CrossFit champions, we have all sorts of different athletes, women who play American football here in the states, national champions. So the talent standard has definitely gone up.
“I just want to make sure we get the best data and best information possible so we can give it to the GM’s of the teams.
“Ultimately people are making big-time decisions on athlete recruitment and we have to make sure the data is on point.”
TAKING ON AMERICA
French insists rugby league isn’t wasting its time in America as it kicks off the second year of a five-year deal to play games in Las Vegas.
The game is edging towards break even and there is every chance they will make a profit this year depending on how many people turn up at Allegiant Stadium.
Ticket sales have been encouraging and the influx of overseas fans has helped ensure the concept is a success.
French believes that of all the codes, rugby league is the closest to American football.
“When you look at American football I think it is proven the rugby code that has the most synergy to what American football is and therefore the potential to get talent development out of football and into rugby league in particular,” French said.
“I think when it comes to Americans understanding league, it is pretty simple. It is very similar in terms of punching the ball down the field.
WAH STAR’S $5K SESSIONS
Before each training session and on game day Luke Metcalf will go through a 40-minute personally tailored warm-up.
Co-captain Mitch Barnett labels it the $5000 exercise and asks Metcalf if he will charge him $1000 if he dares to replicate what the halfback is doing.
It all stems from the last time Metcalf set foot in the US. It was a totally different situation to where he finds himself now that has become the leader of the Warriors backline.
Metcalf was taken to see reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles in Philadelphia with his career at the crossroads as a result of a string of serious hamstring injuries.
It was here Knowles introduced him to a routine which has so far helped him overcome his once problematic hamstring issues.
“I went through 200 different exercises and Bill said you’ll find the ones that work for you,” Metcalf said. “There are 20 ones which I’ve highlighted and since then I have never missed doing it before training or games. Some of the stretches look a bit funny and the boys are used to me rolling around.
“Mitch Barnnett loves punishing me about it.”
While a serious leg injury interrupted his year last year, Metcalf has so far been able to navigate the hamstring which he first suffered before he even played a season proper game for the Warriors.
Now he is the leader of the team. Coach Andrew Webster has loved that Metcalf wants to be involved in everything. Webster said he wants to score tries, kick goals and lead the team around.
Metcalf will get the first chance of showing why the Warriors have shown faith in him to take over and wear the No.7 jersey which once belonged to club legend Shaun Johnson.
“I feel like it’s my team and I’m ready to run with it,” Metcalf said with confidence rather than arrogance. “I can’t wait to get out there and showcase how well we’ve been training.
“Coming into the season Webby (Webster) challenged me on my leadership and having a No.7 presence. Being the guy who guides them around the field.
“I feel like the more responsibility I can have on my shoulder the better it will make me. I feel like the more I’m in the game the better it is for my style.”
Question marks surrounding the Warriors halves combination of Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita has centred on both players being perceived as second-receivers. Metcalf dismissed this notion.
“The outside looking in people have only seen me play that No.6 role,” Metcalf, who turns 26 on game day said. “I don’t blame people if they think that. I feel like I’ve always been a halfback growing up. It feels more natural to me than playing six. Being the guy who touches the ball is something I am more comfortable with than playing second fiddle.”
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