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13 mins: Leniu with a lovely drive, drawing tacklers to him in the middle, creating space outside for Tedesco to exploit. He’s tackled, but Suaalii gets another look close to the line. Promising signs for the Roosters.
11 mins: The Roosters are building nicely. Keary feeds Suaalii through the line on the left and a couple of tackles later they have a set restart in the left corner. The Brisbane defence holds firm as the ball is shifted incrementally to the right, but their first carry out of their in-goal is repelled fiercely by Collins.
9 mins: Easts have been solid so far, minimising risk, completing sets. Brisbane are more helter-skelter, but that of course carries risk. After Walsh kicked long earlier, Mariner follows suit on the right and the Roosters have a good platform for their next set.
7 mins: A factor in that Brisbane error was the positioning of Pat Carrigan. He was slightly out of position to accommodate the loss of Brendan Piakura to an HIA. Corey Jensen is off the bench early.
TRY! Roosters 6-0 Broncos (Manu, 5)
Tackle four coming out of defence, Mam and Carrigan are on totally different wavelengths. The simple pass along the line hangs for an age in open space, allowing Joey Manu the opportunity to snaffle the intercept and gallop unopposed under the posts. Sam Walker dabs over the extras.
4 mins: So close for Brisbane! On the last tackle around 30m out the ball bobbles into broken field where Walsh scoops it up and glides to top gear in that effortless style of his. He arcs towards the left corner, jabs a kick forward, but it’s a fraction too heavy for Arthars to gather.
2 mins: They’re not hanging around in Vegas, presumably Allegiant Stadium is being rented by the hour. Nothing much to report in the opening couple of sets, but it’s worth pointing out the Roosters are in their traditional tricolour uniform, the Broncos in their change strip of white jerseys, maroon shorts.
Broncos XIII
Broncos: 1. Reece Walsh 2. Jesse Arthars 3. Kotoni Staggs 4. Selwyn Cobbo 5. Deine Mariner 6. Ezra Mam 7. Adam Reynolds 21. Martin Taupau 9. Billy Walters 10. Payne Haas 11. Brendan Piakura 12. Jordan Riki 13. Patrick Carrigan 8. Corey Jensen 14. Tyson Smoothy 15. Fletcher Baker 16. Kobe Hetherington
Three changes to the Broncos XIII that started the grand final with Herbie Farnworth and Tom Flegler now at the Dolphins, and Kurt Capewell at the Warriors. Into those big shoes step Brisbane academy graduates Deine Mariner and Brendan Piakura, while Selwyn Cobbo moves from the wing to the centre.
For Australian readers: The Broncos are a side very much on the up. They should have won last year’s grand final, but simply making it to the last game of the season was an accomplishment following an incredible turnaround under head coach Kevin Walters. In Reece Walsh they have the most exciting player in the competition, while up front Payne Haas and Patrick Carrigan offer terrifying pace and power. If the core of the squad stays fit - especially on-field leader Adam Reynolds - there’s no reason Brisbane cannot go one better in 2024.
For US readers: The Brisbane Broncos are not just a club, they are the de facto representatives of an entire state - Queensland. And Queenslanders thrive on their outsider status, especially when it comes to sport and the Sydney-centric world of rugby league. A competition powerhouse through the 90s and 00s, Brisbane recently went through the lowest period in their history, finishing rock bottom in 2020.
Roosters XIII
Roosters: 1. James Tedesco 2. Daniel Tupou 18. Fetalaiga Pauga 5. Joseph Suaalii 4. Joseph Manu 6. Luke Keary 7. Sam Walker 8. Spencer Leniu 9. Brandon Smith 10. Lindsay Collins 11. Siua Wong 12. Sitili Tupouniua 13. Victor Radley 14. Sandon Smith 15. Naufahu Whyte 16. Nat Butcher 17. Terrell May
The Roosters have trimmed a number of squad players from 2023, adding only former Panther Spencer Leniu and former Knight Dom Young. However, the Englishman will not debut today after suffering a neck injury in preseason. Billy Smith was a late scratching with a hamstring niggle, meaning Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i moves to centre, with Junior Pauga coming in on the wing.
For Australian readers: The Roosters have been trending downwards since their last premiership in 2019, but on paper they still look like they should be a finals lock with the likes of James Tedesco, Daniel Tupou, Brandon Smith, and Lindsay Collins still in peak form. They weren’t active in the offseason so it’s hard to see how they improve radically from last year’s seventh place finish.
For US readers: The full name of the Sydney Roosters is Eastern Suburbs District Rugby League Football Club. This means they come from the Insta-friendly affluent beachside suburbs of Sydney you’ll no doubt be familiar with. Also known as Easts or the Chooks, they are one of the most successful teams in NRL history and have played in eight grand finals this millennium. The Roosters are also very funny because their sponsor, Steggles, farms chickens.
Sydney Roosters v Brisbane Broncos Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Thank you David, I hope you had fun. I certainly enjoyed watching someone figure out rugby league in real time. I think I’m going to borrow human cockfighting for a liveblog of my own sometime.
Now - onto game two: Roosters v Broncos.
Final thoughts
Well, that was a lot of fun. Chaos, but fun. Trying to figure out a new sport on the fly is daunting, but I’ve learned a lot. NRL may not be your thing, but if you don’t respect the talent on that field as a sports fan, then you’re not a real sports fan, because these teams put on a great performance. If this game came to New York, and they didn’t price gouge me out of the place, I’d go and watch, no question.
Thank you all for sticking with a rookie on his first and probably last NRL blog! Now, for the real deal: here’s Jonathan Howcroft, a real, live Australian, who will take you through to the second game of this historic doubleheader! Bye!
Post-game
Interviews: Evans says something about it being special to play in front of this crowd.
Brooks says he thinks it’s cool to play on the pitch where the Super Bowl was.
True dat!
Final! Manly 36-20 Souths
Well that was fun! Maybe not for the Souths, who came a long way to get blown away in the second half by a Manly team that were down two scores and then just exploded! So now they have to fly back home, a long, long way, off a crushing defeat.
Hopefully there’s some time for a piss-up on the strip! Am I right?
TRY! 37 mins: Manly 36-24 Souths
The refs rule that’s a try! I thought Kennar was down but then again, I know absolutely nothing about this game. If it’s an NFL game, he’s down. But it’s not!
TRY? 37 mins: Manly 36-20 Souths
Did Richard Kennar get the ball over the line for Souths? The refs are taking a look…
TRY! 37 mins: Manly 36-20 Souths
Luke Brooks steams in for the score which is the exclamation point on this historic first game in the US!
Garrick’s kick is true! Manly’s fans are heard! This one is all but over!
36 mins: Manly 30-20 Souths
Croker kicks Manly’s Mitchell, and that’s not allowed. It’s getting chippy now. No wonder they’re playing the theme from Rocky in the stadium.
33 mins: Manly 30-20 Souths
Nathan Brown gets called for some kind of infraction, messing with someones face? It’s the first penalty awarded to Souths this game, and rather late.
Souths have way too much work to do.
31 mins: Manly 30-20 Souths
There’s a penalty on Souths. I think it’s offsides. So Manly kick it deep, and I guess this is just part of the territorial chess match that happens in NRL. I get it now!
28 mins: Manly 30-20 Souths
More from Saab! He gets another shot at leaping and making a catch off a kick and this time makes it inside the 10 meter mark. But then there’s a knock on which ends that scoring attempt for Manly.
26 mins: Manly 30-20 Souths
Saab, who is my man of the match and my first ever favorite NRL player because of the excitement he’s brought, almost catches a mark for a try, but can’t quite handle it.
Time is ticking on Souths.
TRY! 21 mins: Manly 30-20 Souths
We’re half way through the second half, and Manly are close to the line – one of the Eagles kicks it into the try zone and Garrick is there to fall on it for the score! I like that! Super skillful!
Meanwhile, the Souths have totally fallen apart. Are they done?
Overtime?
Here’s how it works. Thank you!
if it's tied after the second half, there's 10 minutes of 'golden point' - first score wins
no score in that time = game ends in a draw
Also, this:
They usually play at a greater pace and with greater energy for high stakes games. State of Origin is usually fast and hard. Wish I could see today's games!
— Alicia Ninnes (@LeishNin) March 3, 2024Thanks for sticking with us!
15 mins: Manly 24-20 Souths
Souths need a timeout to talk it over, but there’s no timeouts! So what do you do when you get crushed and you need to stop the momentum? I guess just try and get it together on the fly.
Yikes!
14 mins: Manly 24-20 Souths
Wow! More scoring! And it’s Manly again – down two tries just a few minutes ago, looking down and out, and now they’re up! How did that happen?
This time it’s Ben Trbojevic. And if it seems like there’s a lot of Trbojevic’s out there, it’s because there’s three of them! They’re like the DiMaggio’s of NRL.
Ties?
What happens if the score is tied at the end of the game? Is there overtime, or is that it? Asking for a friend.
TRY! 11 mins: Manly 18-20 Souths
But wait a minute, Manly aren’t dead yet! Manly come right back and score, courtesy of Lachlan Croker, who was bleeding about an hour ago. Now he’s got his team right back in it.
Three tries in 10 plus minutes. It’s really loosened up out there!
TRY! 8 mins: Manly 12-20 Souths
So how will Manly respond? By throwing the ball away. An unforced error gives the ball back to Souths.
And South Sydney capitalize on the turnover! This time Alex Johnson takes a great no look pass and runs in for the score!
Back-back to back scores, and this time, Mitchell nails the kick! Suddenly it’s all Souths!
TRY! 4 mins: Manly 12-14 Souths
Souths are at the 10 with three tackles left, and just when Manly looked like they are going to halt the drive, Latrell Mitchell finds a way to score!
But Mitchell misses on the kick. I don’t know how they’re missing these kicks. I know the angles aren’t great, but nobody is running at them. What’s up with that?
We're back!
Only ten minutes for halftime. That’s not a lot at all, especially at the furious pace these folks play at.
First impressions: lots of speed, athleticism, some great ball handling and extremely physical. There’s a lot to like here and a lot to learn. The commentator said the game was played at a crazy pace, above the usual. Perhaps that’s the players living up to the occasion, as they should!
Mr David takes me to school
I am being given some advice. A fumble is a knock-on, and I must not call the Rabbits, “Bunnies”. I was enjoying calling them that, but if I am going to school I need to learn, so deal! From here on out, it’s Souths.
Great blog... but please stop referring to the South Sydney Rabbitohs as the bunnies
Bunnies is a local slang term of endearment lost on international audiences.
Also a term of uselessness down under.
They are 'Souths' or 'Rabbits'
Cheers mate. Top work.
Half time: Manly 12-10 Bunnies
Manly and the Bunnies come together for some extra curricular pushing and shoving as time expires. But then they hug it out it head toward the locker room. Nice of them after beating the crap out of each other for 40 minutes.
Then Damien Cook speaks to the Fox Sports reporter and if my life was on the line I could not tell you even one single word of what he said.
38 mins: Manly 12-10 Bunnies
The extra points are good, and it looks like Manly will take a lead into the half. That was pretty cool I have to say. Saab has an earlier run similar to that but fell short. Not this time!
TRY! 38 mins: Manly 10-10 Bunnies
Wow – Jason Saab makes an interception and is all alone! He runs into the KFC end zone! Just like that, Manly tie the game!
36 mins: Manly 6-10 Bunnies
Tom Trbojevic looks like he’s going to score for Manly, he’s close to the line, but it they called a block on Ben Trbojevic.
But they’re reviewing it, and it seems like the obstruction is called off. Tom is ruled to be short of the try line, or not in possession. I can’t tell. There’s a lot of subtlety to this!
35 mins: Manly 6-10 Bunnies
There’s a penalty on the Bunnies, so then a Manly player takes the ball and kicks it away. I don’t get that. What do you get for a penalty?
TRY! 31 mins: Manly 6-10 Bunnies
Gagai runs it in on the near side to give Souths the lead, but they miss the extra points. That goes against the run of play completely.
Gagai has an amazing mustache that hasn’t even been mentioned by the caller for some reason.
30 mins: Manly 6-6 Bunnies
Check that – I think it was Garrick who made that run for Manly.
Meanwhile, Luke Brooks looks like he will score, he has to score! But he comes up just short of the line!
29 mins: Manly 6-6 Bunnies
Jai Arrow of the Bunnies (what a name) destroys someones face, and again, nobody seems to mind. Manly seem to have the momentum now, and in fact here’s Richard Kennar, in space, making them miss! He has a head of steam on him and now Manly are in great position to score!
TRY! 23 mins: Manly 6-6 Bunnies
OK, I just figured out the graphic on the screen indicating which tackle they’re on. That’s super handy!
Manly nearly score on the 5th tackle, but the ball is lose and close to the line, and I think they’re saying that a Manly player may have knocked the ball forward, which seems to not be allowed.
Not sure about the ruling, but then there’s a scrum – Manly have it – Haumole Olakau’atu receives a nifty little pass and scores a try to tie the game! “He’s way too big, way too strong” says the caller. I agree with that!
Tie game!
20 mins: Manly 0-6 Bunnies
Well, there’s a lot of action. The Bunnies are just outside the 10!. Then Murray gets super close to a score but, FUMBLE! Jason Saab has the ball is away and sprinting down the far sideline! He looks like he will score, but is tacked at the last moment! A try saving play by the Bunnies keeps Manly from tying the score!
13 mins: Manly 0-6 Bunnies
A Bunny player called Braith is already bleeding and the trainer comes out to help sort out the cut which he does well and Braith stays on.
Now another player is being treated with blood all over his face, this time it’s Manly’s no5 Paulo Jaxson.
Wait…
ANOTHER player is bleeding! Is this normal? Croker Lachlan is really banged up.
This is like human cockfighting. But they play on! Jesus.
11 mins: Manly 0-6 Bunnies
One of the Bunnies chokes a Manly player, but this seems to be fine. Nobody seemed to get too upset about it. Meanwhile, this game goes extremely fast. And these folks are hitting extremely hard. It’s impressive.
TOUCHDOWN! 6 mins: Manly 0-6 Bunnies
Good news for me, the Bunnies have run into the KFC end zone and score four points! This delights the travelling fans from South Sydney. But this doesn’t stop the clock and doesn’t lead to a commercial. No wonder there’s no advertising on the field. No wonder Fox took so long to put this game on in the US. Who cares, no ad revenue!
We have picture!
I am looking live at the Bunnies, who I am rooting for, and Manly! They shifted the game to FS2. Let’s go!
2nd minute: Manly almost over! Jake Trbojevic ran it on the last and Souths managed to hold him up just short of the line. Richie Kennar makes a hit and gets Souths inside the Manly half. They put it high on the last and Junior Tatola buries his man with a massive hit.
Kickoff!
The Bunnies and Manly are off and doing whatever it is these people do, but nobody in the US can see it! We still have basketball! Total debacle!
1st minute: Manly kick off and Tom Burgess, in his final season with Souths, charges in for the first hit-up of the day. Jai Arrow is immediately injured, looks like an ankle strain. Souths kick on the fifth and Jackson Paul, an ex-Bunny barrels back. Good yardage by the Sea Eagles.
The Rabbitohs are on the field and the Sea Eagles are running out…
NRL not on American screens, yet…
OK, there’s just under six minutes to go in regulation of this college basketball game – Georgetown are up by four if you must know. But there’s no way the game will be over by kickoff in Vegas. Zero chance. Will Fox Sports boot the basketball off? Or will we be denied our live NRL! We’ll know if just a few minutes!
The desert wind!
Apparently the crowds are light because the wind is howling on the streets of Sin City and it’s causing some of the crowd to arrive late to safe, secure and indoor Allegiant Stadium. How windy is it? This was the scene at the nearby NASCAR racing event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. A bit more than a breeze.
What’s up with the field?
OK, I was told that the matchup today is Souths v Manly, but at least according to the field markings I saw earlier, it looks like KFC are the home team, since their logo is in both end zones. Which team is KFC? Assuming it’s the Sea Eagles since they’re closest to chickens.
I’ve also learned that the distances are marked in meters, not yards, so already we have a problem. Luckily I have an app that can help with this.
Our man in Vegas
Here’s a video of some American guy in an NRL jersey. Not sure which one, but he sets the scene for us as to the vibe on the city streets. Oh, and he’s not really our man, he’s just a guy I found on twitter, or x, or whatever it’s called.
Update
So all of you down there are apparently watching the coin toss, the national anthems, the pomp, the circumstance, etc. Me? In Brooklyn? I’m tuned into Xavier and Georgetown, a Big East men’s college basketball game. Why? Because Fox Sports 1 in the US has no NRL pregame coverage at all! On the schedule, the game starts at 2130 on the East Coast of the United States. But what happens if the basketball game isn’t done? Will I miss the kickoff? That would kind of suck, considering I am providing you with live coverage! Don’t worry, if that happens, the Guardian team in OZ have you covered and will fill you in. Meanwhile, It’s Georgetown by five with 9:53 left in the second half! Hurry up guys!
Hola!
Howdy folks and welcome to our coverage of what I am told is the opening match of an opening day NRL doubleheader, live from Las Vegas!
Why is the NRL on starting off their season in an American desert? Well, the NRL, like other leagues, particularly in North America, are looking to expand their games into new markets. You may recall that a few years back the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks began their Major League baseball season at the SCG. The National Football League routinely play games in London, Germany and Mexico. The National Basketball Association bounces around Europe and Asia and even the National Hockey League skate abroad from time to time. This is all about chasing extra revenue around the globe, which is the cynical view. It also happens to be a lot of fun to watch games that count taking place in odd places. Or in this case, two different days (sort of). No complaints!
So the NRL’s big US adventure lands them on the very same hallowed grounds where Kansas City’s Travis Kelce kissed his singer girlfriend after the NFL’s Super Bowl a few weeks ago. Yes, this is big time stuff, even if some Americans at Allegiant Stadium will have little to no idea what’s going on between the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. That includes me, and I don’t even know what a Rabbitoh is, though I’m guessing it’s some kind of bunny.
Full disclosure: I am an American. My total NRL exposure includes about five minutes of watching Castleford on UK television back in 1995. Someone in England once told me that rugby union is the posh fancy sport and that rugby league is more lunchpail. I also know that rugby folks in general drink a lot and are completely crazy, or at at least they were at my upstate New York university where I was totally scared of them. But I digress...
So this will be a learning experience for sure. I’m looking forward to trying to figure out this sport, live, on the fly. I really have no idea how this will go but let’s see what happens!
I do know that kickoff, (is that what you call it?) is happening soon, so get your Foster’s and your Marmite or whatever the hell you eat and drink down there (shrimp?) and get ready for some Rugby League Football! Oh, and if you want to join the blog, and help me out with some instruction, please feel free to X at me here. Or you can email me here. Join the show, I’ll make you famous!
As the boys from Human Nature kick into an eerie rendition of the Australian anthem before what appears to be a half-full Allegiant stadium, Angus Fontaine sends this reminder of the game within the game today…
For those who came in late, here’s our Stateside preview of today’s grand rugby league experiment…
Manly captain Daly Cherry-Evans has won the toss and will run towards Caesars Palace. Souths skipper Cameron Murray will lead his side in the direction of the Palazzo.
Here are the team line-ups for today’s historic Round One fixture at Allegiant Stadium.
Sea Eagles team: 1. Tom Trbojevic 2. Jason Saab 3. Tolutau Koula 4. Reuben Garrick 5. Jaxson Paulo 6. Luke Brooks 7. Daly Cherry-Evans 8. Taniela Paseka 9. Lachlan Croker 10. Josh Aloiai 11. Haumole Olakau’atu 12. Ben Trbojevic 13. Jake Trbojevic 14. Karl Lawton 15. Corey Waddell 16. Ethan Bullemor 17. Nathan Brown 18. Jakob Arthur
Rabbitohs team: 1. Latrell Mitchell 2. Alex Johnston 3. Isaiah Tass 4. Richard Kennar 5. Jacob Gagai 6. Cody Walker 7. Lachlan Ilias 8. Tevita Tatola 9. Damien Cook 10. Sean Keppie 11. Keaon Koloamatangi 12. Jai Arrow 13. Cameron Murray 14. Siliva Havili 15. Jacob Host 16. Davvy Moale 17. Thomas Burgess 24. Dean Hawkins
Preamble
The NRL is in Vegas, which is weird, so it seems like this is as good an opportunity to do things a little different. Manly take on Souths first up at Allegiant Stadium before the Broncos and Roosters square off in the second part of a double-header that aims to bring the game of rugby league to the masses in the US (while coining in loads of gambling cash, obviously). And we thought it was a good idea to force an NFL writer to watch the opening game and give his take on the joys of rugby league, a sport that remains a mystery to so many Stateside. Expect a mix of wonderment, awe, confusion and horror as 26 massive blokes steam into each other in a game of football “but maybe not as you know it”.
David will be with you shortly, before Jonathan, on much more familiar ground, takes over for the second game. In the meantime, here’s Russell Crowe to help first-timers understand what is about to take place:
