After an almost endless off-season, the NRL action finally stopped haunting us in front of more than 45,000 spectators.
Despite just having four games—two of which were NRL matches—the weekend was jam-packed with conversation starters.
The NRL’s second trip to Las Vegas included the following 20 talking points:
1. I’m pleased to allay any concerns on the now-annual season opener, as I am a renowned Vegas skeptic. It was chilling to see the NRL fan fest. For the Super League and NRL celebrations, 45,000 people showed up. According to rumors, Vegas is so impressed that they want to go beyond the initial contract. Simply amazing!
2. The loss to the Panthers was quickly attributed by many Sharks supporters to player X or player Y. Sometimes the best simply outperform you, and that’s exactly what happened on Sunday afternoon. They were just too good, the Panthers.
3. Continuing to support the Panthers, it is genuinely irrelevant who dons the uniform. The jersey is the important thing. Luke Garner took over in the centers when Brian To’o was ruled out. He performed admirably out wide despite a rough start. During the first several minutes, Daine Laurie was thrown onto the wing. He also fit right in. We’ve never seen a better system.
4. Choosing the Sharks instead. Compared to Daine Laurie, Sam Stonestreet was 12 cm taller and had a significant leaping edge. Trindall and Hynes never kicked him. That will undoubtedly come up during this weekend’s video session.
5. After Isaah Yeo, Add7. Moving swiftly on to the Super League match, youthful talent Junior Nsemba is already well-known if he wasn’t already. A huge six-year contract was agreed by the Wigan big second rower. Wigan has secured one of the top young players in the game for the future. When an NRL team does approach, they are also entitled to a huge transfer fee. They will, I promise!
in Fonua-Blake was the second-best middle on the field, running 190 meters and scoring a try. 194 was the sum of the three additional props. Having a middle-class leader is acceptable, but the others did not follow him. Let’s talk about a second point.
6. Returning to Penrith, everyone anticipated that Moses Leota would assume the role left vacant by the late James Fish-Harris. Although he performed admirably, Lindsay Smith was the one who established the mood in the middle. Smith made his Kangaroos rep debut during the off-season, and it appears that he used that experience as a springboard to success. This year, he will play Origin!
7. Moving swiftly on to the Super League match, youthful talent Junior Nsemba is already well-known if he wasn’t already. A huge six-year contract was agreed by the Wigan big second rower. Wigan has secured one of the top young players in the game for the future. When an NRL team does approach, they are also entitled to a huge transfer fee. They will, I promise!
8. I wholeheartedly support Nathan Cleary’s claims that the World Club Challenge should take place that weekend in Vegas. How it works is a mystery to me. I’m not interested. Get it done. In front of 45,000 spectators, yesterday’s major game between Wigan and Penrith would have been incredible!
9. It appears that the Jillaroos will be held accountable for their own genius. The Jillaroos easily defeated England on Sunday afternoon (Aus time). There is a huge talent gap. England simply does not have the same setup for the game as we do. It was always going to be that way, especially because England had players who couldn’t participate because of their 9–5 occupations. The distance is simply too great to make for interesting viewing just now.
10. At three games, I believe the Vegas day will settle in. A match in the Super League and two NRL games. Clubs simply don’t appear to appreciate it and won’t fight for it, despite my desire to see the World Club Challenge. A day with three games is huge. I’m definitely not going to take one, but four was worth a try.
11. Luke Metcalf plays brilliantly. An actual half. Not a halfback. He must return as quickly as possible to the right edge, the six. Te Marie Martin should make a quick comeback as the clear choice for halfback. Despite being overlooked, he had to sustain an injury in order to play in Vegas. The Warriors’ pick of halves duo is not one you should run with.
12. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad is another player who appears to be in the market for a transfer. Even if he is excellent, it seems a complete waste for Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Taine Tuaupiki to be on the wing. With one of the wingers switching to a more natural fullback position, CNK’s return to the centers appears to be an easy option. All three should be present, so perhaps this is an overreaction. Fitting them all in is the only challenge.
13. A massive message was issued on Sunday morning by Corey Horsburgh. As an NRL player, he is fully back. He was reportedly finished in Canberra, and few people were prepared to fight to keep him there. In the end, Ricky Stuart decided to start at prop in addition to staying in the capital. Stuart is paid a lot of money because of this. How impressive Big Red’s performance was!
14. Xavier Savage performed so well that there are calls for him to be considered for a NSW jersey this season. I agree that he has the talent to play representative football, but it will probably be for Queensland, where he is eligible. You have to take chances where you can, but Savage is a superb talent, so I agree in theory.
15. I genuinely feel sorry for the Dragons, even if you won’t hear me utter or type these things very frequently. One of their players is refusing to show up and play. We have no idea why, but it doesn’t seem to matter to me. Molo has actually stated that he is not accessible. The Dragons are attempting to replace him by signing David Klemmer, but it appears that the NRL will not permit them to do so. Molo holding up the club isn’t the right one, but I don’t know the answer.
16. In my opinion, the Viking horn should remain in Canberra.
17. A huge match on Thursday night and the Wayne Bennett Cup on Friday night are the main events of week one, part two. A part of me is eagerly awaiting the Dragons and Dogs game, but I am most interested in watching what the Tigers’ new appearance can accomplish. 18.
18. Because of the terrible weather, there is a real chance that Friday night’s game may be cancelled. To be honest, I can’t recall the last time a game was canceled. We have seen Suncorp flood in similar circumstances, but the NRL will probably do all in their power to let the game continue. I don’t know what Plan B is. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen and the Dolphins and Bunnies fight.
19. Seeing almost every try in the Super League game go to the video ref got old quickly. Our current system of celebrating tries only to have them chalked off on review isn’t ideal but it’s certainly better than seeing obvious tries sent up to the video almost every time.
20. The NRL must provide Captain’s Challenges clarification as soon as possible. Through a purposeful penalty, the Panthers were able to contest a ruling. Deliberate penalties to contest were “ruled out” last year, but ultimately the correct choice was made. The Sharks were then advised they couldn’t contest an evident strip. For what reason? Nobody actually appears to know. By the time this is published, I’m confident Graham Annesley will present something ridiculous.
