Wests Tigers are sending two officials on a reconnaissance mission to Las Vegas this week after a leadership change at the club opened the door to a shift in their opposition to the US season opener – and could potentially see them take part in next year’s double-header.
With Canterbury, St George Illawarra, North Queensland and Newcastle in the US and preparing for this weekend’s start to the NRL season, rival fans are already wondering who will be on the double bill in 2027.
Shane Richardson announced his departure as Tigers CEO in December.Credit: Dylan Coker
Only five teams have yet to take part, including the Tigers – whose former CEO Shane Richardson made it clear he was no fan of the concept.
“Las Vegas was a f—ing disaster, and it was a party trip for everybody; I don’t want to go,” Richardson told the AFR in 2024. “I’m all about rugby league and … those little Christmas cakes don’t make any difference to the game at all.”
Now Richardson is gone, and his interim CEO successor Shaun Mielekamp has already said he is open about participating in Vegas. Coach Benji Marshall is settled as head coach and has some stability within the playing squad, which could sway opinion at the club further in favour.
Sources with knowledge of the situation not authorised to speak publicly confirmed the Tigers would have at least two club officials at Allegiant Stadium to assess whether they should take part next year. The club has not yet lodged interest formally with the NRL.
Should the Tigers nominate in the coming weeks, one team they won’t play against is Parramatta, since the two western Sydney clubs traditionally draw huge crowds for their derbies.
But having both clubs in America is likely to ensure a crowd of 50,000 at Allegiant Stadium is reached for the first time because of their popularity.
The Eels, Dolphins, Titans and Storm have all lodged their interest for 2027, with only Parramatta prepared to head to Vegas as the home team, thereby giving up a regular-season home game.
“We would work with the NRL on being either [the host or away team],” Eels CEO Jim Sarantinos said. “We’ve put forward our interest. The NRL know that. If we were to be the home team, our preference would be to play a team that typically wouldn’t draw a strong crowd at CommBank Stadium.”
Dolphins CEO Terry Reader said his club was keen, but only as the visiting team, especially given the Redcliffe side drew huge crowds at Suncorp Stadium for home games.
The Dolphins asked fans more than 18 months ago if they would be keen on joining a charter flight to Vegas, and they received feedback from more than 3000 fans.
The same sources suggested the Storm would be the other host, although club chairman Matt Tripp said they would also prefer not to give up a home game, especially after being locked out of Victoria for two years due to COVID.
“Our fans missed out on games for two years because of the way our state government treated all Victorians during COVID, so we’re really hopeful we can be the away team in Vegas,” Tripp said.
“I know time has passed, and a lot of those fans would be conscious of the fact that Vegas would be great for exposure and our brand, but ideally, we still want to be the away team. We’re yet to have those discussions with the NRL.”
Titans CEO Steve Mitchell said he wanted his side to be included next year. “We think there are a couple of synergies with the make-up of both towns [Vegas and the Gold Coast] in regards to events and entertainment,” he said. “We’d be heavily supported by our fan base and corporate team.”
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