The NRL's Las Vegas season opener reflects marketing innovation and bold ambition under Peter V'Landys.
Back in February the newspapers, influencers and countless posts online were full of hype about the new NRL season kicking off at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Such an exotic location would have seemed unthinkable only a few years ago, but not in 2025. The advertising opportunity, for the clubs and the game, can't be denied in an age of aggressive marketing.
Sin City, with its bright lights, is in vogue. Rugby league under Peter "Feathers" V'Landys stays firmly on a curve of enterprise and innovation, several of his ideas winners (as the AFL and Racing Victoria have found out to their cost), others not so much.
But some things have remained exactly the same in this V'Landys age: the...