The Las Vegas Thread

[Iamback]

Apparently theres a contract for One Male, and One Female player from the combine. What sort of contract that is, I'm not sure.

You think a 2nd tier type of thing. Even if only for a year, Great experience to take home and hopefully gets a bit of press for the NRL

 

[The Great Dane]

You think a 2nd tier type of thing. Even if only for a year, Great experience to take home and hopefully gets a bit of press for the NRL

That'll depend entirely on the quality of athletes that they find. The chances of dredging up a solid first grader from a single combine are slim, but stranger things have happened.

The AFL discovered Mason Cox at one of their international combines in America back when they were doing them, and he's played over a hundred games for Collingwood at this point. But hey did about 20 of them across NZ, Ireland, and the US, and Cox is probably the only major success that they had aside from the debatable exceptions of a few of the ex-GAA players from Ireland.

The NRL would need to host a series of annual combines if they were serious about scouting American talent this way, so it's probably more of a publicity thing than a genuine attempt to source American talent, not that there's anything wrong with that BTW.

 

[Iamback]

That'll depend entirely on the quality of athletes that they find. The chances of dredging up a solid first grader from a single combine are slim, but stranger things have happened.

The AFL discovered Mason Cox at one of their international combines in America back when they were doing them, and he's played over a hundred games for Collingwood at this point. But hey did about 20 of them across NZ, Ireland, and the US, and Cox is probably the only major success that they had aside from the debatable exceptions of a few of the ex-GAA players from Ireland.

The NRL would need to host a series of annual combines if they were serious about scouting American talent this way, so it's probably more of a publicity thing than a genuine attempt to source American talent, not that there's anything wrong with that BTW.

In most cases you will get guys who have tried another sport and failed. So I'd guess roughly 22 years old.

If that background was NFL, They won't know how to tackle or attack depending on the position they play.

Womens will be easier as most come from Rugby or something but putting them with players who have years of experience is hard.

But it is good publicity especially if it grows annually. You never know someone there for the double header my see it and invest in the local game. Another bonus

 

[SpaceMonkey]

Apparently theres a contract for One Male, and One Female player from the combine. What sort of contract that is, I'm not sure.

They’ll end up in a 1st grade squad on paper and playing NSW/QLD cup I reckon.

 

[Chimp]

One of them could easily get a game at 6 for the Dragons.

 

[Iamback]

They’ll end up in a 1st grade squad on paper and playing NSW/QLD cup I reckon.

That is what I reckon.

Still they go home and strengthen the local comp with that experience is a positive

 

[Wb1234]

This just gets better and better

the Vegas nines is the cherry on top

 

[Gobsmacked]

This just gets better and better

the Vegas nines is the cherry on top

First America, then the world: Vegas 9s sparks global interest

More than 16 North American teams have entered the NRL's Vegas 9s as officials consider expanding the tournament in future years to a World 9s for grassroots clubs.

www.nrl.com

 

[RedVee]

Hey Dragons NRLW have a Canadian woman for 2024.

 

[RedVee]

All this RL stuff happening in Vegas that wouldn’t have happened without the NRL trying this double header.
im really excited about it.

 

[mozza91]

Looking forward to PR, Canard and the other flog telling us what a horrible thing for Rugby League this is.

 

[Perth Red]

I'll judge it in 4 years, if it has actually achieved anything sustainable.

Fair play though they are throwing a lot of time and money at year 1 and doing it well. Though Im more interested to see if 2023 grassroots funding has been restored when the annual report comes out tbh. Thats far more impacting on Australian rugby league than Vegas.

Lets see if its another flash in the pan that will be laughed about in 20 years the way origin in the states was or afl in china, or if it actually leads to something for the game.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

Looking forward to PR, Canard and the other flog telling us what a horrible thing for Rugby League this is.

According to PR, the NRL are “myopic, weak, cowardly, non-strategic”. I think taking on America will be a good warm-up for the Perth mountain the game must eventually climb.

 

[The Great Dane]

In most cases you will get guys who have tried another sport and failed. So I'd guess roughly 22 years old.

If that background was NFL, They won't know how to tackle or attack depending on the position they play.

Womens will be easier as most come from Rugby or something but putting them with players who have years of experience is hard.

But it is good publicity especially if it grows annually. You never know someone there for the double header my see it and invest in the local game. Another bonus

The age and experience of the athletes that attend will depend on the NRL's criteria to attend. The majority will be former collage athletes that missed out on going pro, but there's nothing stopping the NRL casting the net wider and inviting people from other walks of life if they choose. There're plenty of quality former high school athletes and collage dropouts kicking around in America who could still make it in sport if they were given an opportunity.

With the possible exception of a handful that might have some experience playing high school or collage rugby, and that would be a tiny percentage, it's unlikely that any of these people will have much of any practical experience that's applicable to playing RL. But that doesn't really matter, quality athletes can learn that stuff relatively quickly if they're dedicated and have good coaching. Mason Cox was a college basketball player and high school soccer player with no experience playing a full contact sport at a high level before he was picked up by the AFL.

Lots of people outside of America don't understand just how much athletic talent is going to waste over there. There's a massive oversupply of top quality athletes, only about 1% of which will ever make it pro in the major leagues. A huge portion of those leftovers have the means and ability to make it in another sport, the problem is that nobody has been able to come up with a reliable method of connecting those people with opportunities in other sports and leagues overseas yet.

That is what I reckon.

Still they go home and strengthen the local comp with that experience is a positive

That almost certainly wont happen.

The people who enter the NRL's combine and win a contract will be doing it in pursuit of a career, not for any love of the game. They'll move on to the next best opportunity to make a living if this one dries up.

 

[Perth Red]

According to PR, the NRL are “myopic, weak, cowardly, non-strategic”. I think taking on America will be a good warm-up for the Perth mountain the game must eventually climb.

I remember grant telling us how they were going to spend hundred million on digital and it would be the making of the game. Now its vegas, track record not great.

 

[Babyface O'reilly]

I remember grant telling us how they were going to spend hundred million on digital and it would be the making of the game. Now its vegas, track record not great.

Yeh, not good but PVL is a different beast

 

[Perth Red]

But that doesn't really matter, quality athletes can learn that stuff relatively quickly if they're dedicated and have good coaching.

Id seriously question that! There isnt much of a track record of that happening across many sports, especially one as technical and physical as RL is. If anything there'd be more chance if we were to have 20 high schools take up RL programs and bring kids through from there into NRL backed USA clubs. Then scouting at 18-20.

Making the switch in early 20's to get to NRL level with a year or two having never held a rugby ball is a stretch Id suggest. It'll be interesting to see.

 

[Perth Red]

Yeh, not good but PVL is a different beast

Is he or is he still living on past glory of covid start up? His negotiations have been pretty shthouse beyond that.
TV, stadiums, players, NSWRL. He's got quite a debris trail behind him.
Maybe USA will be his next big success. We shall see.

 

[Canard]

Looking forward to PR, Canard and the other flog telling us what a horrible thing for Rugby League this is.

I'm too busy living rent free in your head.

 

[The Great Dane]

Yeh, not good but PVL is a different beast

PVL is a self-promoter.

The reality is that the NRL could fund these sorts of events in America for decades and it still wouldn't have a major impact on the American market. Cracking the American market takes a constant local presence and heavy exposure, and that costs billions of dollars and takes decades.

The NRL genuinely cracking the US market is an unrealistic goal, and the NRL has made it clear that they're only in the US for the gambling opportunities anyway. They're just saying and doing the right things to promote themselves and try and get themselves under the noises of the right people, and there's nothing wrong with that.