NRL Vegas day 3 video special: Sharks, Raiders, Warriors and Panthers in Las Vegas
Canberra’s US jaunt took a turn when players had to share a training field with an under-12s girl’s flag team. Plus, Cronulla have received VIP treatment at an exclusive LA restaurant and the Warriors arrived in Vegas in style. WATCH THE VIDEOS
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Canberra captain Joey Tapine has revealed that he urged coach Ricky Stuart to include his son Jed in the Raiders touring party for Las Vegas.
Jed Stuart has been knocking on the door of the NRL over the past year and impressed again in the trials, but it took Tapine to convince Ricky Stuart to select his son in the club’s extended squad for the season opener.
Jed Stuart, a former Australian sevens star, vaulted into contention to make his first grade debut after Albert Hopoate stayed in Canberra for the birth of his first child.
Stuart, Savelio Tamale and Chevy Stewart are vying to play on the wing.
“He is a quality bloke,” Tapine said.
“I actually said to Stick that you should bring Jed because he has been training unreal. Stick is hesitant because it is his son.
“I said, ‘bring him over man, he has been training unreal, he does all the little things right’. He is probably one of our best defensive wingers and that is why he is over here.”
The 23-year-old Stuart was on the verge of NRL selection last year after scoring 13 tries in 24 games for the Raiders’ NSW Cup team.
He was actually named 18th man on a few occasions but never got on the field. That may be about to change after an impressive pre-season.
Stuart started on the wing against Penrith in the club’s opening pre-season trial and impressed again but it took the influence of Tapine to secure his plane ticket for Sin City given his father adopted a conservative approach.
Elsewhere, Zac Hosking has been given a bird’s eye view of the famous Las Vegas lights after taking a joy ride on a helicopter on Sunday morning (AEDT).
Hosking, part of the Raiders’ 22-man squad that travelled to Sin City, took a 30-minute flight over the Las Vegas strip and Allegiant Stadium as he sampled the city from up high.
A wide-eyed Hosking loved every minute of it. He wasn’t the only rugby league player to take in the sights of Vegas.
The three teams already here have all been given time off since their arrival to sample Sin City.
RAIDERS SCORE NEW FANS
The Raiders have picked up a new legion of fans following a training field booking bungle that sent Canberra on a tour of Las Vegas.
After their pool party recovery on Friday, Ricky Stuart took his team for a light field session on Saturday morning to shake off any lingering jet lag.
But when the Raiders arrived at Alyn Beck Memorial Park, about 30km from their Resorts World base, they encountered a problem.
The two fields were being occupied by junior soccer matches after being double-booked by council.
A local told the Raiders of a nearby field that may be available, so they got back on the team bus and set off again.
But when they arrived at the next field, a junior girls flag football team was training.
However, after a quick chat, the coach of the flag team invited the Raiders to share their field.
The Raiders dodged sprinklers and completed their first field session in Vegas while the girls trained next to them.
The girls were reportedly thrilled to be sharing a field with an “Australian rugby team”.
As a thank you, Canberra offered tickets for the entire girls’ team to come to Allegiant Stadium for the NRL season opener.
It was the second curveball thrown at the Raiders in less than 24 hours after a planned recovery session went hilariously awry.
Canberra officials had inadvertently scheduled their session in the middle of a rooftop pool party, at one of Las Vegas’ premium party spots.
The pool complex at Circa Resort and Casino has six pools, a giant screen and table games, meaning the Raiders went through their recovery paces with nightclub music blaring over the speakers and partygoers drinking cocktails and wading in the water around them.
It even brought a laugh out of Stuart.
VEGAS ROAD WARRIORS
The New Zealand Warriors are adamant they have a distinct advantage compared to the other Las Vegas-based teams given how much travel the New Zealand side does each year.
The Warriors were the final team to travel to the US after jetting into Las Vegas on Sunday morning. Warriors boss Cameron George said his side were so accustomed to staying in hotels that they were nonplussed about the travel arrangements nor where they train.
“We have a professional footy team that knows the job is to come here and win a game of footy,” George said.
“We travel a lot. Hotel rooms and different training facilities aren’t new. Vegas brings a whole different feel to it.”
Following Sunday’s game against Canberra at Allegiant Stadium, the Warriors travel to Campbelltown, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Wollongong in the first 10 rounds, but do have four games in New Zealand and a bye.
George also said the Warriors dominated ticket sales with a crowd of more than 45,000 expected for the four matches at Allegiant Stadium.
“First and foremost it’s a competition match,” George said.
“We’ve been strategic about the planning for the week. The job is to enjoy the experience but to win.”
ICE, ICE BABY
All four NRL teams were keen spectators at ice hockey games on Saturday night (Sunday AEDT).
The Cronulla Sharks walked from their team hotel to the Crypto Arena where the Los Angeles Kings took on Utah.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas-based Penrith, Canberra and New Zealand — the latter of whom only touched down in Sin City four hours earlier — headed down the Strip to T-Mobile Arena where the Vegas Golden Knights did battle with the Vancouver Canucks.
Canberra’s Joe Tapine did a jersey swap with the Golden Knights’ Tomas Hertl the day before the game, so there was no second guessing where his allegiances lay during the game as the Raiders took over Bay 221.
One bay over were the New Zealand Warriors.
SPOTTED
New Zealand Warriors players, coaching staff and officials arriving at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon (Sunday AEDT).
The Warriors were the last of the four NRL sides to touch down on US soil for next week’s season opener, arriving 48 hours later than Penrith, Cronulla and Canberra.
Like their NRL rivals, New Zealand players were given their first evening to enjoy the Las Vegas night life, before knuckling down to prepare for next week’s games.
SPOTTED
Former NSW and Australian prop Aaron Woods working up a sweat on the treadmill in the gym at Resorts World.
SHOOSH
Which State of Origin star didn’t wake up until 1pm on Saturday after a big night out in Vegas?
SHOOSH
Which two Cronulla players made a beeline for the e-bikes when the Sharks went down to famous Santa Monica beach?
SPOTTED
Penrith players touring The Sphere and Caesars Palace as they enjoyed some down time on Sunday morning (AEDT).
SHARKS TREATED TO GLAMOROUS DINNER
Head chef Jose Peraza has cooked for A-listers and Hollywood stars at his exclusive seafood restaurant, Water Grill, in downtown LA.
Yet the master chef says he felt nervous to create a VIP menu and cook for the Cronulla Sharks.
“It was a stressful time of cooking for them due to how big the guys are,” Peraza said.
“I didn’t want to mess up anything.
“I had never heard of the Sharks before, but I’ve already looked the guys up and will follow their travels in Las Vegas.
“Go Sharks.”
Peraza gave the Sharks the royal treatment with the lunch menu including a Sharks logo and special good luck message.
The likes of Cronulla’s front-rowers including Addin Fonua-Blake, Tom Hazelton and Oregon Kaufusi feasted on a three-course menu of clam chowder, wild Icelandic cod fish, roasted brussels sprouts and American cheesecake.
Head coach Craig Fitzgibbon and captain Cameron McInnes were also into the kitchen to select their own lobsters.
“It was some of the best food I’ve eaten,” McInnes said.
Originally published as NRL Vegas day 3 video special: Sharks, Raiders, Warriors and Panthers in Las Vegas
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