- Peter V’landys praised the NRL’s American commitment
- The Las Vegas blockbuster was well received by fans.
- V’landys says the NRL will be back for more
A delighted Peter V’landys says there is more to come for American audiences after the NRL has made a sensational start to its adventure on American soil.
More than 40,000 fans attended the Las Vegas extravaganza at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday as the Roosters, Broncos, Manly and Souths showcased the best rugby league has to offer.
Barring a dispute between Ezra Mam and Spencer Leniu over an alleged racial slur, the games went off without a hitch and a proud V’landys said there is plenty of potential for growth in the future.
“We’re going to come back,” he said on Fox League. ‘This is just the base.
‘It’s like building a house: we’ve laid the foundation, we’ve set a benchmark, we have to improve from here next year.
Peter V’landys has praised the NRL’s Las Vegas blockbuster
More than 40,000 people attended the premiere of the new season
‘The results have to reach American viewers. It will be interesting to see how we did on Fox 1 tonight, how many viewers we got. We need to see how many subscriptions we have sold on WatchNRL.
“It’s not going to happen in the first 12 months, it will take three or four years, but I am more confident than ever that we can make tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars for the game that will return to the basics.” and the Hindy and Fletch Show.
NRL sources said more than half of the Allegiant Stadium crowd came from outside Australia and England, in one of the first milestones of success.
And the locals were able to watch high-quality games, although some in the back of the Allegiant Stadium press box labeled the game they witnessed as “barbarian.”
As Manly racked up 36 points against South Sydney, Garrick celebrated with a pre-planned ‘Gronk Spike’, hoping to earn recognition from the legendary NFL tight end.
The play of the day belonged to Manu, who played a wild no-look pass to set up Fetalaiga winger Pauga on the right wing and help the Roosters to a 20-10 win over Brisbane.
Manu’s move came in a nearly identical spot to where Kansas City quarterback Mahomes threw the Super Bowl-winning pass to Mecole Hardman in overtime a little less than three weeks ago.
“I didn’t realize it was that corner,” Roosters coach Trent Robinson joked.
But Joey Manu was here to play tonight.
‘I love that we can show that ability. “Joey is one of the guys who can do that and achieve it.”