Some of the posters promoting the Denver Test in 2018.Credit:Adrian Proszenko
The first has already been heeded. Wayne Bennett has been the common denominator in every league foray into the US. He was the Maroons mentor during the 1987 State of Origin exhibition match in Long Beach California,coached a Kangaroos side that trailed at half-time against the Tomahawks (as the American national team was known at the time) on astro-turf in Philadelphia in 2004 and oversaw England’s victory in Colorado.
His great lament has been that each sojourn has been a one-off event,lacking the follow-up required to properly penetrate the market.
Moments after full-time sounded in Denver,Bennett fronted up to deliver what Steve Mascord,perhaps the most travelled league scribe of them all, described as the best press conference he has delivered.
“We need people to stand up for the international game,” Bennett said,imploring the NRL not to abandon the US as a destination for quality content.
England and New Zealand take the field in Denver in 2018.Credit:Getty
The NRL has taken the tip. It has committed to Las Vegas for five years,a concerted effort to properly test the appetite of a new audience.
“It’s a long-term plan,there’s a business case behind us,” said NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo.
“You’ll only be able to measure the metrics truly at the end of the cycle.”
Much thought has also gone into the location. The time difference was a factor that made the West Coast an attractive proposition,allowing matches to be played at prime time in America while still broadcasting to Australia and New Zealand on a family-friendly Sunday afternoon.
“I saw a Fox executive and he basically said,because we were originally going to go to Los Angeles or San Jose,that we were wasting our time,” ARLC chairman Peter V’landys said.
Loading
“They said we would never penetrate Los Angeles,that it was too big a city. I took that advice and looked at where else we could get that traction.
“When Andrew Abdo commissioned alternatives,the moment he said ‘Vegas’,the lights went up in my head.”
It is a big task,one the NRL has opted to bring in-house. Previous projects,such as the Denver Test and the launch of the Nines tournament in Auckland,were entrusted to freelance promoters. With V’landys and Abdo at the helm,the middle man has been cut out.
The stage is now set and the players must now do their part.They must resist the temptations of Sin City,knowing that an off-field scandal will have disastrous consequences. The headlines must be about what happens on the field.
There is no shortage of spectacular shows in Vegas this weekend. Kylie Minogue,Madonna,U2,Christina Aguilera,Cirque du Soleil and David Copperfield are among the options for tourists. Whatever the players dish up,on a ground five metres skinnier than the norm,needs to be more memorable.
Only then will American fans,either watching at Allegiant Stadium or live on Fox Sports 1,decide if rugby league is for them before the carnival rolls on.
Adrian Proszenko’s trip to Las Vegas was funded by the NRL.
Stream the NRL Premiership 2024 live and free on9Now.