3 minute read

The NRL is getting closer to playing a women's game in Las Vegas in 2025, a move Americans believe could attract more local talent towards the NRLW.

The NRLW's first potential American trailblazer believes a women's game in Las Vegas could be a silver bullet for attracting more talent, as officials close in on a fixture for 2025.

The NRL is increasingly hopeful of adding a women's match to next year's Vegas extravaganza, potentially in the form of Australia playing England or a Barbarians-style side.

Club football is all but off the cards due to timing, but a State of Origin fixture is the other option being considered by the ARL Commission.

The women's game is viewed as the code's best chance of attracting American talent, with no fully professional female rugby or gridiron leagues in the country.

Jillaroos coach Brad Donald told AAP at this month's Las Vegas combine several players there could feature in the NRLW as early as this year.

There is also a belief more talent will arrive at next year's combine, once word spreads through rugby sevens quarters of the money available in the NRLW.

And in the eyes of combine winner MarCaya Bailous, herself a Sevens player, one of the best ways to gain interest is with a women's match in Vegas.

"People just need to see it," Bailous told AAP.

"I had a lot of friends that had never played league before that played in the Nines (tournament in Vegas) and they're hooked now.

"When's the next game, when's the next game?

"Pay wise it would definitely be more beneficial to be here in the NRLW with the contracts, as opposed to PR Sevens (in the USA)."

Bailous and Canadian combine winner Megan Pakulis toured Australia this month, competing in the National Championships and visiting NRLW clubs.

They are hopeful of earning contracts for 2024, joining American Liz Tafuna who is also being hunted by several clubs after the combine.

And each believe there is more talent back in North America to attract to the sport.

"I know heaps of girls who would be perfect for it, but they weren't (at the combine)," Tafuna said.

"Because it's not a thing people watch here, they think it's a little sport and a fallback if I don't crack it in union or sevens."

Next year's expanded 12-team NRLW could present more options for women's players, with the Warriors and Canterbury to join.

The NRL is still determining the exact plans for Vegas in 2025, with men's teams to soon be announced and the option of also including the World Club Challenge.

"We're thinking innovatively around this," NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said.

"As we proved at Magic Round we think about events, we invest in it, and we grow and cultivate it.

"We were very pleased with year one in Las Vegas. Now we're thinking about additional matches that could be on the Saturday or could be the Friday.

"It will need to be carefully thought through because we need to make sure it's feasible, sustainable and makes sense."