The 2024 NRL season is finally here but the opening two games in Las Vegas will look quite a bit different to the rest.
The NRL has hit Las Vegas with most of the focus around how the game can generate new fans in the US, and how many they can get to the game.
The motivations around the fixture are debatable. As a long-time supporter of taking big games to America, doing so with the sports betting dollar front and centre isn’t my favourite approach. Nonetheless, we’re here and have a great opportunity to showcase the game to new fans regardless of the final number.
One thing that will be new for old fans is the size of the field.
An NRL field is typically 100 metres long and 68 metres wide. The depth of the in-goal can sometimes vary, but it’s roughly 10 metres. In Vegas, however, the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, South Sydney Rabbitohs, Sydney Roosters and Brisbane Broncos are playing on a much smaller field.
While five meters in width doesn’t seem like much to lose, it’s a lot when you consider how often we see wingers score within centimetres of the corner post.
Jason Demetriou has had his Rabbitohs training on a smaller field in an effort to prepare them for Sunday.
The dimensions make a difference and Demetriou is expecting a defensive focus.
“We spent a week training on it, just to get a feel for it.
“Get some understanding of it, but the initial feeling was that the players didn’t really feel it but when I went back and watched training it’s pretty obvious the dimensions do make a difference.
“It’s definitely going to be more defence orientated and the weather I think could play a part as well, the cooler conditions.
The way a lot of teams look to play is by compressing the middle, engaging defenders, and creating space on the edges. It’s only become more prevalent since introducing the six-again rule.
With less space to play with overall, things might look a bit different on Sunday.
I expect teams to keep it tight. Timing is often off on shifts to the edges at this time of the season. Those shifts we’ve seen with the attacking team running out of space and being forced to cut back in throughout the NRL Trials; they’re likely to be a regular feature of the season openers.
Rather than looking to fire a shot on the third tackle, we might see a more patient approach and an extra carry up the middle. If attacking teams are to make up for the lost space on the edge, they need to bring more players around the ruck.
The Sea Eagles play quite laterally, so it will be interesting to see how they adjust for Round 1 and if they look any different in Round 2 and beyond. Similarly, the Rabbitohs look to create a long side, usually the left, to fire their most dangerous shots. Those long sides are going to be shorter this week.
In the second game, both the Roosters and Broncos are set up well to play with a more narrow attack. Patrick Carrigan and Victor Radley are among the best in the competition at providing middle service for the spine players on the edges. With two big packs around them holding up the defence, I’m tipping the second game to be the more entertaining and cleaner of the two.
READ MORE: Oscar’s Big Questions for the Sea Eagles, Rabbitohs, Broncos & Roosters
Defending teams will likely play into a more narrow field. They don’t have as far to slide when teams shift the ball, so they can afford to take a little bit more care around the ruck. We love to see Damien Cook dart out and use his speed to scramble the line, but he’s somebody that might be kept in check more than other weeks. The space for Tom Trbojevic to push up around the ball might be a little bit narrower, too.
The field is shorter, so the 10-metre lines won’t be accurate. It’s more likely that referees continue to use the lines as a guide than pacing out 10 metres from the ruck, so we might see some big running metre totals.
Or, I’m reading way too much into all of this, and the smaller field makes little difference at all…
Whatever the case for Sunday, footy is back and I’m frothing for it.
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Housekeeping
Like we do every year at RLW, we change things up slightly. We tinker with different ideas and try new things. This year, with other rugby league commitments that ramp up later in the week closer to the games, I don’t have as much time to punch out a long-form piece. Instead, I’m frontloading the week with a deeper review of each round and using this time on a Friday morning (or Saturday, in this case) to find a few smaller things to watch over the coming weekend.