a Youtube hype reel running ELEVEN minutes<\/a>.<\/p>\nUndeniably though, the highlight comes before even the halfway point, with what appears to be Zimbabwe\u2019s answer to Dan Ginnane screaming as our man rampages away upfield; \u201cNooo \u2026 nooo \u2026 you can\u2019t be serious \u2026 you have to be kidding me \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, seemingly breathless, our caller then asks if anyone has a BP machine to check his heart rate?<\/p>\n
Already considered the best college rugby player anywhere in America, Nyamundra will spend the back half of this week in a Nines side coached by longtime Queensland Origin assistant Neil Henry.<\/p>\n
Alex Nyamunda in action for Wheeling University. Photo: Jerry Hancock PhotographySource: Supplied<\/p>\n
While the annual NRL Combine event is not taking place this year, a group of America\u2019s most promising athletes have banded together under Henry\u2019s guidance to make an All Stars side \u2013 convinced they can catch the eye of NRL talent scouts via the tournament.<\/p>\n
Working as Henry\u2019s assistant is the man long considered the Godfather of American rugby, Dave Niu \u2013 who also played with St George Dragons in the 1990s.<\/p>\n
Niu scouted Nyamundra at a national rugby conference earlier this year — and was immediately impressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI watched his first three touches,\u201d the old Winfield Cup player grins, \u201cand Alex scored on every one of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo immediately, it was \u2018Ok, your name goes into my book\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Niu added that the youngster reminds him of Queensland Origin legend Close.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust with the way he moves,\u201d Niu continued. \u201cIt really reminds me of Choppy. Even with his size, he remains so mobile, elusive and really good on his feet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got no doubt he could make it in the NRL.\u201d<\/p>\n
Already, Henry and Niu have met up with the players several times via Zoom, and will all finally be on the ground in Las Vegas Tuesday morning for training.<\/p>\n
Jillaroos assistant Jess Skinner is also in Las Vegas, working with a female All Stars team that will compete in the women\u2019s competition.<\/p>\n
Two other players who enter the Nines amid plenty of hype are Telesi Uhatafe, a powerful centre, and winger Vivian Wright, an exciting finisher with a real knack for finding the tryline.<\/p>\n
NRL Wrap: Hope for Titans after big win | 02:37<\/p>\n
GARLO TOUCHES DOWN IN USA WITH 50,000 PIES<\/p>\n
South Sydney Old Boy Sean Garlick is touching down in Las Vegas sometime later today \u2013 and with almost 50,000 of his famed pies arriving by both air and sea.<\/p>\n
After three years of trying, one of the Rabbitohs favourite sons has finally secured a deal that will see his famed Garlo\u2019s Pies sold not only inside Allegiant Stadium for Sunday\u2019s game, but also at the famed El Cortez Hotel immediately following the Fremont Street experience.<\/p>\n
Speaking with this column shortly before jetting out of Sydney, and after having spent the weekend in Mudgee watching the Bunnies final trial game, Garlick confirmed there will be some 5000 of his pies at sausage rolls available at the season opener.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd they\u2019re being flown in for Monday morning,\u201d Garlick explained.<\/p>\n
Incredibly, the retired No.9 also has another 40,000 products currently being transported via sea for Long Beach California, with the NRL season launch also announcing something of a much larger US assault. <\/p>\n
And to help with the massive task, Garlick\u2019s two adult sons Jackson and Campbell are already on the ground here in Sin City, and have hired a freezer truck to make deliveries \u2013 which stretch right up to Utah.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have done some trade shows over here already and got talking with a couple of Australians who run the university catering up there,\u201d Garlick explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been after meat pies for years and so we now have University of Utah taking them, along with Brigham Young University.\u201d<\/p>\n
Garlo revealed his two boys are also whipping up attention for the family business by attending Allegiant Stadium promotions this week in RM Williams boots, Akubra hats, and budgie smugglers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd they\u2019ll be dressed the same while handing them out for a basketball game up in Utah,\u201d dad laughed. \u201cObviously this is a massive undertaking \u2013 just getting Australian beef products into the US is a complex process \u2013 but we\u2019re really excited with everything that is happening this week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cleary put on report in pre-season loss | 02:24<\/p>\n
CAN KNIGHTS\u2019 $13M MAN HANDLE THE HEAT?<\/p>\n
When it comes to players under pressure here in Las Vegas, you have to reckon that top of the pile is Newcastle\u2019s new $10M playmaker Dylan Brown.<\/p>\n
However, one man tipping the Knights superstar signing to handle the heat is his rival in Sunday\u2019s Allegiant Stadium blockbuster \u2013 North Queensland\u2019s Tom Dearden.<\/p>\n
Given Dearden is no stranger to pressure himself, initially as a Brisbane Broncos prodigy, and more recently after replacing Daly Cherry Evans for Queensland \u2013 where he went more than OK \u2013 we asked the Maroons star for his thoughts on everything coming for Brown.<\/p>\n
\u201cDylan Brown has signed the big contract, and he\u2019s earned that,\u201d Dearden stressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut while you do earn those deals as a player, it does still come with pressure to perform.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Dylan will handle it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not only played in the big arenas already, but he\u2019s really got his game down pat now.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knows what his strengths are and he sticks to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cSame in pressure situations, he falls back to his strengths \u2013 which is running the ball and taking the line on.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd with he and Kalyn Ponga working together, they\u2019ll take the pressure off each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s what makes the Knights a dangerous side this year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about Brown as a threat, the Cowboy continued: \u201cWhat makes him so dangerous is how threatening he is at the ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s always wanting to take on the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s what makes him hard to defend.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as there is any ruck speed, or any kind of momentum that Newcastle are going to get, he\u2019s going to be attacking us and really taking on our big middle forwards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen when you look at him combining with KP, they\u2019ve got a lot of attacking weapons there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re two dangerous players and we\u2019ll have to do as much as we can to take away their time in the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Makasini’s stunning try turns heads | 01:38<\/p>\n
BOXING CHAMP & UFC STAR TO KICK OFF SEASON<\/p>\n
Given we\u2019re in the world\u2019s fight capital, it\u2019s no surprise to hear the NRL is in discussions with two likely fellas for a ceremonial \u2018kick off\u2019 at Sunday\u2019s games \u2013 Aussie cruiserweight king Jai Opetaia and UFC legend Max Holloway. <\/p>\n
Opetaia, who grew up playing rugby league on the Central Coast, has been in Las Vegas for the best part of a month as part of preparations for the upcoming defence of his IBF and Ring titles, with a new Zuffa strap also on the line.<\/p>\n
Holloway, of course, is also no stranger to the abilities of leaguies \u2013 thanks to his unforgettable trilogy with that greatest of Warilla Gorilla props, Alexander Volkanovski. The Hawaiian will be in Las Vegas for the game given he defends his Baddest Mother F***er title the following weekend against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Zimbabwe-born wrecking ball is sending NRL scouts\u2019 tongues wagging heading into the Las Vegas Nines. Plus the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":498114,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,85,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-498113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-sports","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=498113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/498113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/498114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=498113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=498113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=498113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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