NRL Las Vegas: Wayne Bennett backs Andrew Abdo’s plan for NFL style Combine
NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has revealed
plans for an NFL-style Combine to lure American athletes to rugby league as part of the code’s historic 2024 season kick-off in Las Vegas.
This masthead can reveal the NRL are exploring one of the biggest offshore projects in the code’s history - a US talent audition drive to help tap into the hearts and minds of 330 million Americans.
The revolutionary idea has the backing of super coach Wayne Bennett, who believes the American sporting market is an untapped goldmine for the NRL.
As a delegation prepares to head to Las Vegas to ramp-up promotion for the American double header in March, Abdo outlined League Central’s bold blueprint to turn NFL-quality talent into NRL stars.
Former Souths under-20s rookie Jordan Mailata is now a $98 million NFL superstar with Philadelphia - just five years after the boy from Bankstown quit the NRL to try his luck in American Football. Now the NRL wants to unearth America’s version of Mailata - almost 50 years after former NFL player, California-born Manfred Moore, debuted for the Newtown Jets in 1977.
Abdo confirmed talks are underway to stage an inaugural NRL Combine, to be trialled on the eve of the double header involving the Broncos, Roosters, Souths and Manly at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.
“We are excited about the opportunity, and we are now working on how we can bring it (an NRL Combine) to life,” Abdo said. “It’s an opportunity for the game to identify talented athletes, male and female and another avenue to connect with audiences."
“Combines are an innovative way to identify talent and have been successfully utilised by US sports to sign athletes. An NRL Combine in the USA would not only be an opportunity for NRL clubs to find talented athletes, but would also be a way to connect with US sports fans."
“Fans want to see the next generation of athletes pursuing professional sports contracts and potentially making their sporting dreams a reality in Australia. It needs careful thought and the appropriate planning and business case, (but) the USA presents a compelling opportunity for the NRL to acquire new fans and potentially new athletes as well.”
Under the plan, an estimated 50 male and female American athletes will be invited to the first-ever NRL Combine in Vegas for testing and skill drills with a view to potentially securing a rugby league contract.
More than 14,000 American Football players fail to qualify for the NFL draft each year and the NRL wants to mine that talent production line.
The NRL has previously fielded informal proposals for talent shows, but the governing body is keen to preside over an official Combine where Americans can audition for NRL contracts.
NRL clubs would be offered salary-cap concessions for signing and educating American talent.
America’s most famous league export is Moore, who turned out for Newtown in 1977, just 98 days after playing for Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl.
While he only played five games, Moore scored Newtown’s first four-pointer of the 1977 season and is the only man in history to score both a touchdown in the NFL and a try in rugby league.
Former Philadelphia Eagles squad member Greg Smith was handed his NRL debut by Newcastle coach Warren Ryan in 1999, but had a shocker on the wing against Canterbury and was never seen again.
In 2017, former Washington Redskins running back Silas Redd signed with the Ipswich Jets, but failed to make their Queensland Cup side and returned to the US eight months later.
Bennett, who was Queensland coach for State of Origin’s first ever game on American soil in 1987 in California, believes US athletes can make it in the NRL.
“I’m a fan of an NRL Combine in America,” Bennett said.
“Look, we are starting from zero. Americans haven’t grown up watching the game or understanding the game, but athletically, they can match anything we have got. That’s not a problem. The problem is the education and understanding the rules."
“Manfred Moore came out here from America in the 1970s and it was a great idea, but he just didn’t know the game well enough. If you get some game recognition over there, you will get some American kids following the NRL. In 10 years time, this can be a great success. There’s a definite market there we can tap into.”
Leading sports agent Chris Orr, the man who engineered Mailata’s move to the NFL, was engaged by the NFL in 2018 to launch its inaugural International Combine on the Gold Coast. He is adamant an American NRL Combine would be a smash hit.
“To capitalise on broadcasting and gaming in America, you ideally want Americans playing our sport,” Orr said. “This can be an identical scenario to Jordan Mailata’s journey to the NFL through the International Pathway Program.
“This is also great for the NRLW - imagine the number of female American athletes who could be great NRLW players. An Combine is a great idea as the recruiting process is something which resonates with the American public.”
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