Rugby league’s return to Las Vegas over the weekend garnered plenty of attention for a sport not traditionally associated with the United States.
The Allegiant Stadium welcomed 45,209 fans for the showpiece event, which accounts for an improvement of 5,000 from last year.
The National Rugby League (NRL) can pat themselves on the back for turning the event into a must-see occasion for rugby league fans around the world.
What started as an ambitious idea has become a bucket list experience, with thousands of Australians making the trip to see their teams compete under the bright lights of Vegas.
One of the NRL’s key long-term goals for the project is to get more people betting on the sport, and the buzz around the event suggests they may have hit the jackpot, especially in Australia.
The event generated plenty of excitement on several new Australian betting sites, with punters eager to punt on all the action from Vegas. The increased exposure in Aussie betting circles is a win for the league’s commercial ambitions.
Read on as we look at three talking points from the Vegas showpiece.
Ricky Stewart Finally Unleashes his Young Guns
Canberra Raiders fans have been crying out for more attacking impetus from their team, and it looks like head coach Ricky Stewart is finally willing to listen.
The Raiders boast one of the most talent-packed forward lines with speed to burn on the edges, but Stewart has been reluctant to let them loose.
He placed more emphasis on winning the physical contests than outsourcing their opponents, which made most of their play frustratingly predictable.
There have been audible groans from the fans who want to see more from highly rated youngsters such as Xavier Savage and Ethan Strange rather than wasting their skill set on predictable patterns overly reliant on dominating possession for the sake of it.
However, there were signs during the off-season that Stewart was looking to open the playbook up and the Raiders’ dominating 30-8 win over the New Zealand Warriors backed it up.
The Raiders played with purpose. They moved the ball quickly, ran smart lines and kept the Warriors guessing. There was an obvious intent to kill the game before the Warriors found their footing, and they pulled it off with aplomb.
Stewart’s attacking tweak was refreshing to see, and after narrowly missing out on the top eight last year, the Raiders will be keen to go one better this season.
They have started as they mean to go on and the fans will be hoping to see more of the same throughout the season. They could be a good bet to secure a play-off spot.
Panthers Show They are Still the Team to Beat
The Penrith Panthers got their first look at life after Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris and proved they are still the team to beat as they chase a fifth consecutive championship this season.
The NRL champions came flying out of the blocks against Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks, running out 28-22 winners and sending a message to the rest of the pack about their championship ambitions.
The Panthers showed they mean business in 2025, ripping into the Sharks in defence from the outset. They have a reputation for starting the season slowly before hitting their stride much later, but they came out firing, rattling the Sharks from the kick-off with their intensity.
The Sharks were trailing 12-4 after 30 minutes. However, they refused to throw in the towel. They soaked up the pressure and established a foothold before taking the game to the champions.
They also deserve credit for working back from 24-10 to give themselves a shot and a well-timed final pass to Sam Stonestreet could have dramatically altered the outcome.
Despite their resilience, the Sharks walked away empty-handed. There’s no shame in losing to the champions, especially knowing they put up a fight.
Ultimately, it’s the points that matter, and they will be kicking themselves for not taking advantage of a Panthers side that wasn’t at their sparkling best.
If the champions can keep bagging early wins against title contenders, it is going to take something special to knock them off when it matters.
NRL Investigating Alleged Altercation Involving Warriors Assistant Coach
While on-field events delivered plenty of talking points, there was also drama unfolding behind the scenes.
The NRL is investigating an altercation involving Warriors assistant coach Richard Agar. He is alleged to have grabbed a British journalist by the throat during a confrontation in Vegas.
The journalist in question was covering other games on the schedule, including the Super League contest between the Wigan Warriors and the Warrington Wolves.
He also covered the women’s Test Match between England and Australia, where the English team were handed the beating of a lifetime, falling 90-4 to the Jillaroos.
Agar has led several Super League teams, including Hull FC, Wakefield Trinity and Leeds Rhinos, accumulating over 200 games as a head coach.
He joined the Warriors as Andrew Webster’s right-hand man in 2023.
