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The Las Vegas Thread

SpaceMonkey

SpaceMonkey

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Wb1234 said:
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Amateur hour stuff if they can’t fix that. But it does take time, I know guys with records who’ve got visas to visit the US and it took a few months of waiting for consular bureaucracy and having to go for an interview at the US consulate to get approved.
I hope for the club and the NRL’s sake they’ve already made all the necessary applications because getting them approved in a month is highly unlikely unless they call in a bunch of government favours to get it fast tracked.
I can’t see guys like Walsh, Haas or Cobbo being eligible for ESTAs, and it’s going to be a pretty bad look if the Broncos can’t field 3 of their star players because they didn’t do the visa applications in time.
 
Generalzod

Generalzod

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Vee said:

How Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and a Rabbitohs’ billionaire can kickstart league in America
Dean Ritchie
August 14, 2023 - 6:00AM

The NRL will be counting on its glamorous celebrity stakeholders and league-loving Australians to help take the game to America next February.

In a glamorous publicity blitz, the NRL will ask Hollywood stars Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman to promote February’s historic double-header in Las Vegas by appearing on US breakfast programs, news bulletins, late-night talk shows, television advertisement and social media platforms.

And this masthead can also reveal tech billionaire, South Sydney co-owner Mike Cannon-Brookes, has revealed a desire to help the American experiment through his part ownership of NBA franchise, Utah Jazz. The NRL has made contact with Crowe, South Sydney’s co-owner, and Jackman, a diehard Manly fan, through their clubs ahead of next season’s round zero American weekend featuring the Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles, Broncos and Sydney Roosters.

Crowe and Jackman also want to bring their own creative promotional ideas to the NRL.

While the exact contribution of Crowe and Jackman is to be determined, the pair will essentially attempt to complete a mass media campaign.

“I haven’t had any direct contact with the NRL but I have been made aware of the event,” Crowe said.

Crowe and Jackman can add plenty of starpower to the NRL’s US contingent.

“Any assistance I could give would be based on what interest in the games the NRL can generate within America. I haven’t been consulted or involved in creating the plan to this point.”

The Sea Eagles and Roosters are the two home sides for a week-long event which will include other Australian events and activities.
There is a suggestion Manly will play Souths in Vegas, pitting Crowe’s team against Jackman’s side in a match-up which would be a strong promotion tool in America.

“It could be they (Crowe and Jackman) are interviewed on Fox Sports, it could be social media, it could be the creation of adverts, marketing and promotion in all forms, live appearances and helping with creativity about how we can actually market in America,” said NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo.

Crowe has managed to attract plenty of stars to South Sydney’s fanbase including Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, Sabrina Elba, Elsa Pataky and Isla Fisher.

“It is about using their following and popularity in the States to point people toward, effectively, Australia week during the last week of February and to get people excited about this whole week of activities and the games as well. There could be appearances on the late night talk shows, news and their equivalent to the Today morning show on the American networks. They have a keen interest in the NRL and their clubs so it’s about using that to promote the whole week’s events and not just the games.

THE RUSSELL AND HUGH SHOW​

* US breakfast programs
* News bulletins
* Late-night talk shows
* Television advertisements
* Social media platforms

“We will work with them on how they want to bring this to life and their creativity as well. They want a creative say as opposed to us telling them what to do.”

Manly’s major sponsor, PointsBet, is US-based and has used former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal in its previous Australian television campaigns.

Crowe (2.9 million followers) and Jackson (14.9 million) have a combined total of 17.8 million followers on Twitter alone. The Utah Jazz have a further 1.2 million Twitter followers.

The most popular US late-night hosts which may be targeted include Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.

Cannon-Brookes, said to be worth $19.5 billion in Australian dollars, may use his influence at Utah to help promote the two NRL matches. Souths’ third owner, James Packer, hasn’t yet expressed a desire to be involved.

Crowe wants to attend the game but has several projects on hold due to Hollywood’s actors’ and writers’ strike. His plans may change late depending on when the action is resolved.

The two games will be played at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, which accommodates around 65,000 fans.
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I thought Super league was going to do all that take and take it to the masses?
 
Iamback

Iamback

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20,497
SpaceMonkey said:
Amateur hour stuff if they can’t fix that. But it does take time, I know guys with records who’ve got visas to visit the US and it took a few months of waiting for consular bureaucracy and having to go for an interview at the US consulate to get approved.
I hope for the club and the NRL’s sake they’ve already made all the necessary applications because getting them approved in a month is highly unlikely unless they call in a bunch of government favours to get it fast tracked.
I can’t see guys like Walsh, Haas or Cobbo being eligible for ESTAs, and it’s going to be a pretty bad look if the Broncos can’t field 3 of their star players because they didn’t do the visa applications in time.
Click to expand...

That is what is the issue would be. Some got visas some didn't

It is year 1, This sort of teething issues were to be expected
 
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W

Wb1234

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34,383
SpaceMonkey said:
Amateur hour stuff if they can’t fix that. But it does take time, I know guys with records who’ve got visas to visit the US and it took a few months of waiting for consular bureaucracy and having to go for an interview at the US consulate to get approved.
I hope for the club and the NRL’s sake they’ve already made all the necessary applications because getting them approved in a month is highly unlikely unless they call in a bunch of government favours to get it fast tracked.
I can’t see guys like Walsh, Haas or Cobbo being eligible for ESTAs, and it’s going to be a pretty bad look if the Broncos can’t field 3 of their star players because they didn’t do the visa applications in time.
Click to expand...
T

the
Iamback said:
That is what is the issue would be. Some got visas some didn't

It is year 1, This sort of was to be expected
Click to expand...
Nrl giving wrong advice initially isn’t helpful

at least one club did its own die dilligence and should be fine
 
Iamback

Iamback

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Wb1234 said:
T

the

Nrl giving wrong advice initially isn’t helpful

at least one club did its own die dilligence and should be fine
Click to expand...

It isn't but I can't think anyone on the ARLC or the players that went have a record, So it likely they assumed all would be fine
 
taipan

taipan

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22,500
taste2taste said:
Peter Fitzsimons is far more positive towards league than Webster. I almost chocked on my weetbix when Fitzy wrote a positive article about the League World Cup, writing what an incredible achievement it was for a country with such a small population to produce enough talent to make the final.

In contrast Webster was writing what a joke the League World Cup was that a team with only 2 home grown players and the rest NZ'ers and Aussies was able to make the final.
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You cite one example about the League world cup from FitzSimons.I can tell you almost without exception he has bagged the RLWC either because the players are mainly involved in the ARL/NRL, the game is played in only a few countries, regular negativity when incomes to internationals ,would not entertain the fact rugby league was robbed during WW2 in France when all their assets were seized by the Vichy govt (pushed by RU officials)and handed over to RU post WW2.
His SMH columns regularly bagged rl players who misbehaved .
If he is far more positive toward RL than Webster ()who is union tended),then we are reading from different books.
He made the comment about the Storm when they came in." When RU has a Melbourne team in the Super comp, the Storm will not survive and will have to move off to the Central Coast". He once again got it wrong.
He bagged the new SFS stadium stating money should be spent elsewhere and not a stadium for RL's benefit, forgetting the Super comp and intls would be played there.
I don't know how long you have been reading his work ,but IMO it has kept the same pace/bias since he became a SMH journo.
 
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Canard

Canard

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Apparently Webster is a Union fan, because he had the hide to suggest the notion of us pissing away money on third rate Union players was a bad idea.

This character assassination is in no way ad hominen to avoid the real topic.
 
Perth Red

Perth Red

Post Whore
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69,870
yakstorm said:
There is no way only 1,000 tickets have moved since the PR activation in December. There has been way too much movement in Stadium availability, ticket allocation numbers, etc. Maybe the NRL overstated numbers back in December or the majority of the movement has been other allocations, but there has definitely been more movement.

Anyway, regardless, in the scheme of things it's only how many tickets have been sold come March 2nd that matters, not what numbers may or might not be now. A crowd less than 30K come March would pretty much be the undoing of PVL + Abdo's leadership with one (or both) most likely losing their role off the back of it. I imagine they would be aware of that risk as well, so I'd expect them to have a few cards to play, if again everything is as bad as Webster reports.
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Vlandys signed off on a tv deal costing the game hundreds of millions. Vegas failure won’t bother him lol
 
Jamberoo

Jamberoo

Juniors
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1,456
Wb1234 said:
35k to 40k sales is breakeven I think
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Most tickets are $19 so 40k would not even be $1m.

We won’t know until next year whether this will work, or if it is worthwhile continuing. If the crowds, gambling revenue and viewership are up on 2025, we may have a winner.
 
W

Wb1234

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Jamberoo said:
Most tickets are $19 so 40k would not even be $1m.

We won’t know until next year whether this will work, or if it is worthwhile continuing. If the crowds, gambling revenue and viewership are up on 2025, we may have a winner.
Click to expand...
Corp sales are way more than that per ticket and they’ve sold plenty (approx 185 pp)
 
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