The NRL pass mark for EVERY coach this season… and who is most at risk of the axe<\/a><\/p>\nLAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 23: Matt Lodge of the Cowboys looks on during a North Queensland Cowboys NRL training session.Source: AFP<\/p>\n
Within hours, Asofa-Solomona fired back on Instagram, hinting that it was Lodge who would no longer be in the NRL if he had stayed.<\/p>\n
When quitting his $800,00-a-year contract to take up boxing this year, it was confirmed the Melbourne Storm premiership winner had been fielding lucrative offers from the Parramatta Eels, Warriors and rugby\u2019s mooted R360 competition.<\/p>\n
However, NAS has now revealed the Cowboys were also interested in his services — and for the exact spot that was eventually offered up as something of a lifeline to former Manly Sea Eagle, Lodge. <\/p>\n
All of which suddenly adds the pair to a run of Las Vegas feuds including that fiery 2024 hotel exchange between players from the Roosters and Brisbane Broncos, and following an onfield incident hours earlier between Spencer Leniu and Ezra Mam.<\/p>\n
Last year too, the NRL Las Vegas week had headlined around an inflatable plastic bat and wrasslin\u2019 Raiders Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies.<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
Nelson responded to Lodge’s comments on InstagramSource: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
KNIGHTS FLYER\u2019S SHOCK TYSON PLOT<\/p>\n
Newcastle star Bradman Best has confirmed himself a chance of completing what has to be the greatest Las Vegas bucket list item of any travelling NRL star this week \u2013 meeting Mike Tyson.<\/p>\n
Only a day after Bulldogs players trained at the $100M Las Vegas Raiders HQ, Best has opened up on his plans to get a private audience with the legendary American heavyweight long considered \u2018Baddest Man on the Planet\u2019.<\/p>\n
A massive fight fan, Best has already been in the T Mobile Arena crowd for Ryan Garcia\u2019s world title win this week, trained at the UFC Performance Institute, and is also planning a visit to Johnny Tocco\u2019s famed boxing gym tomorrow. <\/p>\n
But at the top of his list \u2013 that meeting with Iron Mike.<\/p>\n
And the man looking to make it all happen is the old man of Best\u2019s partner, Kayla \u2013 Hall of Fame fighter, Jeff Fenech.<\/p>\n
Jeff and wife Suzee arrived here in Las Vegas on Tuesday, along with Kayla and the baby daughter she and Best share, Kaliyah<\/p>\n
Fenech and Tyson have been close friends for years, with the Marrickville Mauler even acting as the great\u2019s trainer late in his career.<\/p>\n
Newcastle Knights players arrive at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for a team dinner. Picture: Jonathan NgSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
Asked by this column if, with Fenech in town, he could potentially be tagging along to meet Tyson himself, Best laughed: \u201cI\u2019ve actually been on to Jeff about hooking me up.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I\u2019m hoping he can.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously Mike Tyson is busy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he\u2019s a hard man to get a hold of.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019ve been on his case about it 24\/7. Because to even shake Mike Tyson\u2019s hand \u2026 that\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
‘We are a much better side than that’ | 04:34<\/p>\n
Asked about potentially one day having a crossover fight himself, Best said: \u201cI have done some boxing and would jump in there just to test myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t do UFC though.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t throw kicks or stuff like that. It\u2019s crazy what they do.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I do love my boxing and maybe down the track would do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Any chance you want us to send a text to Aussie promoters Matt and George Rose?<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t spoken to the boys about it yet,\u201d Best said, smile widening across his face. \u201cI really want to focus on footy first and then jump in the ring a bit later.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Laughs] And that\u2019s when I\u2019ll hit up the Rose boys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cleary to play round 1 after downgrade | 02:18<\/p>\n
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS VISIT<\/p>\n
Kangaroos great Danny Buderus will be part of a small crew of travelling NRL types invited inside Las Vegas Raiders headquarters for a private meet \u2018n greet session with players on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The event, which is closed off to the media, is something of a golden ticket for several NRL players who are huge American football fans. <\/p>\n
Buderus, who is on the Knights coaching staff, will be accompanied by players Tyson Frizzell, Greg Marzhew and Matt Croker, while three Cowboys players will also be in attendance. <\/p>\n
With the Bulldogs training at the Raiders HQ on Sunday, they spent Monday enjoying a day off, with No.6 Matty Burton heading to a local golf course with team-mates including Sean O\u2019Sullivan, Connor Tracey and Harry Hayes.<\/p>\n
Another group of Bulldogs players and staff took a trip out to Hoover Dam, with that group including Max King, Jacob Preston and Marcelo Montoya.<\/p>\n
COOPER JOHNS IN LINE FOR US FOOTY SHOW<\/p>\n
NRL larrikin Cooper Johns has been dubbed the \u201cperfect fit\u201d for a proposed new TV show aimed at selling rugby league to Americans \u2013 and overseen by the same producer who played a role in delaying the 1987 Origin game in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Matty Johns and his two sons, Cooper and Jack, arrived together in Las Vegas on Sunday for what looms as a huge week for one of rugby league\u2019s most popular families.<\/p>\n
And while Matty is now among rugby league\u2019s most recognisable faces, it\u2019s his former Melbourne playmaker son who has been earmarked for a US footy show blueprint that mixes highlights, interviews and lifestyle pieces from across the NFL, college football and Australia\u2019s premier rugby league competition.<\/p>\n
And the man behind the concept is Aussie ex-pat Ray Simmons, who almost 40 years ago was part of Origin\u2019s debut in Long Beach, California.<\/p>\n
Now this week Simmons is jetting into Las Vegas to hopefully pitch his concept to Fox Sports executives, and the longtime Dragons fan says Matty Johns\u2019 son would be perfect for the role.<\/p>\n
Simmons also suggested the timing was perfect, saying: \u201cYou\u2019ve not only got the NRL now here in Las Vegas, but you\u2019ve also got the NFL looking to grow itself globally, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo why not create a program that combines the two? <\/p>\n
NRL brings Aussie flavour to Vegas! | 05:22<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd someone like Cooper Johns would be the perfect fit. Or you could go with Jake Duke, or even Cooper Cronk \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Wonderfully, Simmons has also outed himself as the man who was responsible for the \u201987 Origin game to be delayed because, he says, the US cameramen had no idea what game they were even there to cover.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn fact,\u201d he laughs of a game eventually won by NSW 30-18, \u201cthey thought the game was something like hockey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got no idea how, but they had no clue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember two days out from the game asking organisers if the cameramen were America. I said \u2018well, we might have a problem here\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd we did.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sure if you\u2019re old enough to remember, but the game was delayed \u2013 and that\u2019s why.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d got a group of the Hunting Beach rugby boys together and we played a game of touch footy out on the oval before the State of Origin game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was all really last minute, but just to give the cameramen an idea of what was going to happen. Once they had it, we started the game …\u201d<\/p>\n
Dragons player Valentine Holmes practicing his goal kicking with posts during training at James Regional Sports Park in Las Vegas ahead of their Rugby League Las Vegas game. Picture: Jonathan NgSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
DRAGONS TRANSFORM COUNTRY BAR<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve gotta hand it to the St George Illawarra Dragons, who have transformed one of this column\u2019s favourite Las Vegas bars for fight week.<\/p>\n
For those who believe there are only two types of music \u2013 country and western \u2013 one of the most popular spots anywhere on the strip has to be the live music venue that is, Ole Red.<\/p>\n
And this week, the Dragons are making it their own.<\/p>\n
Apart from staff wearing Dragons t-shirts, or serving Budweiser in plastic Dragons cups, there are also club videos playing on the big screens, club posters on the walls, even an image of co-captain Clint Gutherson splashed large on the elevators. <\/p>\n
The Dragons will use Ole Red as a base throughout the week, with a Friday fan day already sold out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It wouldn\u2019t be an NRL Las Vegas without some kind of beef \u2013 although good luck anyone who…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":501342,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[2095,252079,64,63,240614,252076,60352,252094,485,48990,19061,594,11101,216000,252080,99965,252088,252081,252083,89762,14408,11862,38387,9262,5098,14595,4592,19968,27662,2623,252090,252086,252085,251541,22930,481,252084,160164,3502,8199,252089,9139,761,762,2627,1025,4495,2782,43766,2041,2067,158,16228,252075,252093,252077,252092,159,252082,37653,33195,252091,85,4563,252078,108970,252087,94360,2614,4412],"class_list":{"0":"post-501341","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nrl","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-american-football-fans","10":"tag-au","11":"tag-australia","12":"tag-baby-daughter","13":"tag-bingo-card","14":"tag-boxing-promoter","15":"tag-boxing-switch","16":"tag-california","17":"tag-clint-gutherson","18":"tag-coaching-staff","19":"tag-college-football","20":"tag-cooper-cronk","21":"tag-crossover-bout","22":"tag-crossover-fight","23":"tag-danny-buderus","24":"tag-dragons-player","25":"tag-fight-capital","26":"tag-fight-threat","27":"tag-footy-show","28":"tag-game-ban","29":"tag-george-rose","30":"tag-goal-kicking","31":"tag-golf-course","32":"tag-ivan-cleary","33":"tag-jack","34":"tag-jacob-preston","35":"tag-jake-duke","36":"tag-jeff-fenech","37":"tag-las-vegas","38":"tag-legendary-american-heavyweight","39":"tag-lifestyle-pieces","40":"tag-list-item","41":"tag-live-music-venue","42":"tag-long-beach","43":"tag-los-angeles","44":"tag-massive-fight-fan","45":"tag-matt-croker","46":"tag-max-king","47":"tag-mike-tyson","48":"tag-mixes-highlights","49":"tag-national-football-league","50":"tag-national-rugby-league","51":"tag-nationalrugbyleague","52":"tag-nevada","53":"tag-new-york","54":"tag-newcastle-knights","55":"tag-nick-walshaw","56":"tag-no-limit","57":"tag-north-america","58":"tag-northern-america","59":"tag-nrl","60":"tag-pass-mark","61":"tag-playmaker-son","62":"tag-raiders-visit","63":"tag-ray-simmons","64":"tag-rugby-boys","65":"tag-rugby-league","66":"tag-rugby-league-las-vegas","67":"tag-ryan-garcia","68":"tag-season-opener","69":"tag-shock-contract-clam","70":"tag-sports","71":"tag-st-george-illawarra-dragons","72":"tag-suzee","73":"tag-team-dinner","74":"tag-touch-footy","75":"tag-ufc-performance-institute","76":"tag-united-states-of-america","77":"tag-valentine-holmes"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501341","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=501341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/501342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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