![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/poster-fallback.png\"\/)
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English Super League clubs Hull KR and Leeds are also here.<\/p>\n
And speaking with Fox Sports Australia this week, New York Post journalist Mark Cannizzaro has insisted rugby league can make a dent in the psyche of American sports fans, despite the concept still having its share of critics back home in Australia.<\/p>\n
A pair of TV reporters from CBS and the ABC have also urged the NRL to expand its efforts Stateside after having spent this week on the ground interviewing players and covering fan events, training sessions and the Fremont St Experience.<\/p>\n
An NFL writer whose beat includes both the New York Jets and Giants, Cannizzaro has been to all three years of NRL openers here in Las Vegas, in the process becoming a fan of the game and its myriad storylines.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst year here I knew nothing about the sport or the personalities involved,\u201d he said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t have told you a rule, and had no idea even what a \u2018try\u2019 was.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I\u2019ve had to educate myself a little bit, and that\u2019s been a blast.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I love a good story and there are so many good stories here at this event.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year we had Nathan Cleary and his father. And Warriors coach Andrew Webster, who played rugby league in Connecticut, right near where I grew up.<\/p>\n
Get all the latest news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports NRL Sportmail. Sign up now!!! <\/a><\/p>\n The NRL has been urged to bring a whole round to Las Vegas.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n Watch every game of every round of the Premiership Season LIVE with no ad-breaks during play on FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNow this year it\u2019s Valentine Holmes, who was part of the NFL International Development Program. And with the Jets, the team I cover in New York.<\/p>\n \u201cSo after coming here three years ago and not knowing what to expect, I\u2019m now certainly more educated about the game, and enjoy talking about it with the guys.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked how the NRL could make more fans of the game like himself, Cannizzaro said: \u201cit\u2019s all about television exposure\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cAs you know, TV drives the bus,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Vegas proves the NRL can be global | 02:48<\/p>\n \u201cAnd it also sounds like there are plans [for the NRL] to expand the number of cities and numbers of games played when they come here each year.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaking with people this week, there has been talk of going to places like Miami and Nashville.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was also suggested to me that all 17 teams may come over and play at once.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd while that\u2019s obviously a big commitment financially, the more you flood the zone — using a football term — the more you\u2019ll grab attention.<\/p>\n \u201cSo you have to keep presenting it, get it on free to air television \u2026 you do that and people will watch.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE NRL NEWS<\/p>\n MCKINNON: Why Knights\u2019 $13m gamble can work; \u2018bloody scary\u2019 Broncos reality<\/a><\/p>\n WHISPERS: Bears lock up versatile Sharks star as next signing targets revealed<\/a><\/p>\n \u2018BUY OR SELL\u2019: Final verdict on Broncos saga; what\u2019s real in Eels hype<\/a><\/p>\n ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys and NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo have been told to play all of Round 1 in Vegas in the future.Source: Supplied<\/p>\n Elsewhere, CBS television reporter Sunny Tsai explained why she has also decided to cover the NRL Las Vegas blockbuster this week, including a feature piece on St George Illawarra\u2019s Valentine Holmes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I saw [the NRL] was in town, I was really excited,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s something that is newer to the American audience, so I pitched to my boss saying \u2018OK, let\u2019s go do a story on these players\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d already covered Sevens Rugby when I was in Texas.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that was awesome.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d done stories on players from Australia, from New Zealand \u2026 they were so cool, the rugby was awesome and I wanted to showcase that to our audience.\u201d<\/p>\n And why Val Holmes?<\/p>\n Get all the latest news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports NRL Sportmail. Sign up now!!! <\/a><\/p>\n Perth Bears snare former Origin star | 00:31<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s just so interesting,\u201d Tsai said. \u201cYou don\u2019t see a lot of rugby players try out for the NFL, or vice versa.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d actually say less Americans would go to another country and try a new sport at the highest level.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think his story is very inspirational.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was playing in the NRL at 19 — which is crazy — then goes off to try the NFL, then comes back and you\u2019re one of the best players in the world again. I think that\u2019s really inspirational and something I wanted to talk to him about.\u201d<\/p>\n So as for how the NRL grows the game here?<\/p>\n \u201cAwareness,\u201d Tsai continued. \u201cWhile I\u2019ve covered rugby before, I\u2019d never heard of the NRL.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I just think it needs more advertisement, so people understand exactly what the NRL is.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d like to see more activations.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople at the Fremont Street experience, at Oz Fest, those are great. And now they need more things like that to get people really hyped up. You don\u2019t just want all the people watching this game in Las Vegas to be fans from Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n Another US journalist at the Canterbury Captain\u2019s Run on Friday, was ABC reporter Brandon Bossert, who spoke of their being \u201ctonnes of interest in Las Vegas this week\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s definitely an amazing event,\u201d he said. \u201cWith so many people travelling from Australia and the United Kingdom, too. <\/p>\n 2026 SEASON PREVIEWS<\/p>\n SEA EAGLES: Big unknown in new era… and superstar facing make-or-break year<\/a><\/p>\n DOLPHINS: They are the ultimate entertainers… but can\u2019t ignore darker reality<\/a><\/p>\n