ARL Commission chair Peter V’landys is advocating for a 20-year extension of the NRL’s Las Vegas opening round following discussions with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
As he gears up for broadcast rights negotiations with Nine, DAZN (new Fox Sports owner), and other networks, V’landys emphasized the NRL’s rising prominence, boasting 186 million viewers last year, outpacing the AFL’s 148 million. In a NewsCorp interview, he took a swipe at the AFL, stating, “They always looked down at us as the poor cousin, but we’ve overtaken them in audience. They thought we were inferior, but we’re not.” He attributed the NRL’s success to rule changes increasing ball-in-play time, enhancing entertainment value compared to rival codes.
V’landys also addressed potential changes to State of Origin eligibility, proposing that players from Tier 1 nations like New Zealand and England, who played in NSW or Queensland before age 13, could represent both Origin and their country. This aims to bolster international rugby league while respecting players’ national allegiances, with a review planned for year’s end.
Greek Australian Rugby League boss Peter V’landys has lunch with the Queen
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