The lights of Fremont Street had barely dimmed before Peter V'landys was already thinking about coming back. After a record crowd of more than 16,000 fans poured into Las Vegas's famous old precinct on Friday night for the NRL's official season launch, the ARL Commission chairman made it plain: the game is not leaving Nevada any time soon.
"Vegas will always be the anchor event, we're here for the long haul," V'landys told reporters, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald. "As long as we get the revenues, we'll be here. I thought it was big the first year, we toppled it the second year, now it's bigger again. I've never seen this many people."
The scene on Fremont Street was as chaotic and colourful as you'd hope from an event built on spectacle. Canterbury skipper Stephen Crichton marched through the crowds wearing Meta smart glasses, giving fans a point-of-view camera feed of the procession. Newcastle's Greg Marzhew pulled off a backflip on stage when asked to dance. St George Illawarra flyer Christian Tuipulotu grabbed the microphone and told the crowd to "show me the money" — a call-back to the try celebration his coach Shane Flanagan banned last season.
The English contingent stole a good portion of the night's thunder. Hull KR and Leeds supporters broke into song repeatedly, and when English singer Andy Bell, one half of synth-pop duo Erasure, made a surprise appearance to perform Hull KR's unofficial anthem A Little Respect, the British fans in attendance went into a frenzy. V'landys was clearly impressed, and offered a gentle challenge to the Australian travelling support: "The English have added so much to the atmosphere, the Aussies have to pick their game up — we need to do better."
Australian comedian Jim Jefferies provided the night's most awkward moment, dropping a string of expletives on stage before turning his attention to the English fans who had begun booing his material. His assessment of the Australian contingent was pointed, if not printable in full: "Australians are the biggest gamblers and degenerates on earth, Vegas is happy to see you." The crowd, to their credit, took it in good humour.
Holmes, Crocs, and a Golf Tall Tale
Away from Fremont Street, State of Origin utility Valentine Holmes provided the week's best yarn. At the Dragons' fan meet-and-greet at Resorts World, Holmes convinced New York Post journalist Mark Cannizzaro — who covers golf alongside his NFL beat — that he had been Australian junior golf champion and had made two holes-in-one in the same round. The gag was orchestrated by former colleague Ben Everill, now the Dragons' media director, who spent years reporting on the PGA Tour and knew exactly which buttons to push.
Cannizzaro finally worked it out when Holmes told him he had once wrestled a crocodile for $500. Holmes clarified he wouldn't have done it for anything less than a thousand. The reporter, to his credit, took the winding with good grace. Holmes was otherwise a genuine drawcard for the American press corps, given his brief stint as an NFL prospect.
Speaking of golf, Cowboys pair Scott Drinkwater and Coen Hess treated themselves to a round at the Wynn Golf Club, one of the most prestigious — and expensive — courses in the city, with the tab running north of $1,000 each. Neither was slumming it on the fairway: Drinkwater plays off a 14 handicap, while Hess carries a tidy six.
Fenech Returns, 35 Years On
Boxing legend Jeff Fenech was also in town, returning to Las Vegas for the first time in 35 years since his controversial draw against Azumah Nelson. The Marrickville Mauler is here to watch Newcastle's Bradman Best, who is dating his daughter Kayla. Asked whether he ever worried about a hypothetical break-up with Kayla and the consequences that might follow, Best was diplomatic but knowing. "He's still got it," Best said. "I know about the Azumah draw, but we've never dissected that one. I do know he still gets treated like royalty in Vegas."
Former representative winger Josh Mansour appeared on local television station Fox 5 News Live to promote the weekend's games, holding his ground admirably when two lacrosse players on the same segment insisted their sport was tougher than rugby league. Host Jason Feinberg revealed he had attended a game in Sydney and become a Roosters fan, before adding he might need to find a new team after the weekend's action.
On the officiating front, NRL referee Ziggy Przeklasa-Adamski arrived in Las Vegas sporting a new Tom Selleck-style moustache that generated considerable attention among the playing group. He is running the line this weekend rather than holding the whistle, which, given the dimensions of the moustache, may have been a practical decision as much as a rostering one.
The NRL has been open about its ambitions to grow the game in North America, with the ARL Commission viewing Las Vegas as both a commercial exercise and a marketing platform for new audiences. Whether the code can convert curious Americans into genuine fans remains the long game, but on the evidence of Fremont Street on Friday, the spectacle itself is no longer in question. The kind of effort that reminds you why you fell in love with the game — and, judging by the English supporters belting out A Little Respect under Nevada's neon glow, it's working on crowds well beyond our shores too.