Melbourne Storm surprised club was not invited to be part of NRL Las Vegas opener in 2026
The NRL overlooked the perennial competition heavyweights, opting to capitalise on Canterbury's popularity by putting them on the plane to the US next year, alongside St George Illawarra, North Queensland and Newcastle.
Ahead of the 2025 fixture the Storm withdrew from the running, unhappy with the NRL's terms and conditions, but Storm boss Justin Rodski told AAP they were "keen" for 2026.
Melbourne have had back-to-back sell-outs already this season and have signed more than 31,000 club members, which is why Rodski was puzzled that the NRL didn't look to lure a new fan base to the showpiece event.
"We thought we had a proposal that was compelling, but unfortunately, for whatever reason, I think the NRL missed a big opportunity to not take the Storm," he said.
"It's an opportunity missed to showcase Melbourne, second largest city in the country; Victoria, the biggest growth market with the game flying; Origin here next year.
"By all metrics we're one of the powerhouse clubs in the competition, and to be not selected again is disappointing.
"In all sports, we'd be among the top-ranked clubs in the country when it comes to broadcast, commercial support, fan base and social media reach.
"If you think about all the factors, it's hard to understand how we weren't picked to go, but at the same time there's always layers of complexity that sit within decision-making for the NRL, so they've got to weigh that all up."
Rodski wasn't certain if they would consider applying for 2027, saying the club had a more pressing priority.
"Hopefully we win the comp and we'll be playing in the World Club Challenge in England instead," he said.
Making their maiden appearances in Vegas, Newcastle will meet North Queensland, before neighbouring rivals the Bulldogs and Dragons face off on March 1 (AEDT).
Hull KR will also play Leeds in the Super League match.
The 2024 grand finalists are one of five teams not to have played in Las Vegas since the overseas promotion started in 2024, along with the Dolphins, Gold Coast, Parramatta and West Tigers,
It's expected the Bulldogs' recent surge in popularity will help the NRL push for an increased crowd figure from the 45,209 of this season.
Canterbury hosted a record regular-season crowd when 65,603 turned up for this year's Good Friday match against South Sydney.
The Bulldogs have an average crowd this season of more than 35,000.
Adding to the NRL's hopes of an increased attendance is that they have been able to name the fixtures earlier, rather than in July last year and August the previous year.
AAP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
5 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Parramatta Eels upset Brisbane Broncos thanks to Mitch Moses masterclass
The Eels have beaten the Broncos 22-20 on the back of a Mitchell Moses masterclass after Reece Walsh was denied a last-ditch match winner in a thriller at Suncorp Stadium. Moses was superb in his return with injury finishing with a linebreak assist and three try assists, while Origin winger Zac Lomax had a classy double and Josh Addo-Carr scored his 150th try and the match winner. Walsh had 147 run metres, a try assist and almost the match winning try, but he finished with three errors in a rocks and diamonds display. Xavier Willison was penalised for being third man in and making dangerous contact below the knee as the Eels took the lead through Mitchell Moses' boot. Addo-Carr was penalised for an escort to give Adam Reynolds the chance to lock up the scores. Walsh let a Moses bomb bounce to allow Sean Russell to produce a freak chip and chase try to give the Eels the Reynolds pounced on an intercept from Dean Hawkins' pass to run away and score a long-range try to square it up again. Reynolds turned provider to put Kobe Hetherington through a hole and he did the rest to charge 30 metres to score and give the Broncos the lead before the break. Reece Walsh ALMOST won it for the Broncos! ðŸ'° Watch #NRLBroncosEels on ch.502 or stream on Kayo: âœ�ï¸� BLOG ðŸ'¢ MATCH CENTRE — Fox League (@FOXNRL) July 25, 2025 Moses put the ball on a dime for Lomax with a pinpoint try assist off the boot just before halftime. Moses and Will Penisini combined to put Lomax over for a double as the Eels took back the lead. Walsh produced a brilliant sidestep to slice through and set up Billy Walters for a try as the Broncos took back the lead. Addo-Carr dived over in the corner for his milestone 150th try as the Eels took the lead yet again. Walsh looked to have pounced on a Joash Papalii blunder to score a late match winner, but the try was ruled out due to the Broncos fullback being off-side. The Eels held on for a deserved win in a seesawing epic to all but end Brisbane's top four hopes. MOSES STARS IN 'BITTERSWEET' MOMENT FOR EELS FANS Mitchell Moses proved why he's considered a top three halfback in the competition, starring for the Eels in his first game since Origin II. Moses has endured a wretched run with injury over the past two seasons and in 2025, has only played in seven games. It's no coincidence that Moses' poor luck with injury has correlated with the club's ordinary form but with the star half back on deck, Parramatta handed in one of their best performances of the season. Moses was in everything good the Eels did and his elite kicking game was evident for all to see. He finished with three try assists and suffocated the Broncos with his long and short kicking.'It's probably bittersweet for Parra fans as it's an insight into what they've missed,' Dan Ginnane said on Fox League. WALSH'S ACHILLES HEEL REARS UGLY HEAD At his best Reece Walsh is the one of the most dangerous attacking weapons in the NRL, but unless he cuts the errors out of his game he won't be the best. Walsh put in a rocks and diamonds display to nearly pull the Broncos out of the fire, but his penchant for errors came back to bite him and his team. Walsh had 147 run metres from 14 runs to go with three tackle busts, a linebreak and a try assist and nearly the match winning try. But the fact he was off-side blew his chance at scoring the game winner and he also had three errors, a missed tackle and gave away a crucial penalty. Walsh is an absolute freak of a player, but he needs to cut down on his mistakes if the Broncos want to go all the way to a drought-breaking premiership.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
The Geelong suburbs where home prices soared since Covid
Time is on the side of people who bought homes in Geelong in the first year of the Covid pandemic, new data reveals. New PropTrack research reveals people who bought homes in the 12 months to July 2020 are sitting pretty on potential five-year value gains of between 10 and 100 per cent. Only one Geelong suburb shows a price fall over that time, a 3.3 per cent decline for Geelong West units. The growth figures underline how dramatic the restrictions on the movement of people in Melbourne were on regional property prices during the pandemic, as thousands sought to leave the lockdown capital. Mid-century home designed by AFL great up for sale Dan Andrews' ring of steel locked in the unprecedented boom in home prices as waves of Melbourne people – many buying sight-unseen – accelerated demand for property. It wasn't to last though, with Geelong now coming out of a two-year downturn as the market absorbed the abnormal growth. The data reveals Rippleside as the standout suburb, with a 104 per cent median price gain over five years (worth $850,000) skewed by the waterfront Balmoral Quay development. A renovation boom made its mark at inner-west Manifold Heights, where the median house price has jumped nearly 60 per cent to $1.175m. But next-ring suburbs stood up best during the downturn. Whittington, St Albans Park, Bell Post Hill, Herne Hill and Corio houses banked median price growth between 30 and 40 per cent over five years, with inner-city South Geelong and outer suburban Lovely Banks and Marshall rounding out the city's 10 best-performing suburbs. Geelong buyers advocate Tony Slack said the strength of the growth over five years demonstrated the owning property for value gain was still a long-term proposition. 'You always should be looking at least five to seven years because of that cycle. That's just natural growth – plateau – growth – plateau. You need time in the market,' he said. Mr Slack said the pandemic boom was unique as it was driven predominantly by owner occupiers, with the negative result for Geelong West units put down to an oversupply and fewer investment buyers. Gartland Geelong agent Will Ainsworth said new development and renovations contributed significantly to the growth, especially in smaller suburbs such as Rippleside and Manifold Heights, but rising prices for inner suburbs also pushed demand further from the CBD. 'Eight to 10 years ago it would have been the suburbs closer to the CBD than those (that had the best growth),' he said. 'You've got East Geelong or Newcomb, and now you've got Whittington and St Albans Park. 'It's that next or third suburb from the CBD that became the affordable one, because that second one had taken off and become a bit less affordable,' he said. 'There's equity in two ways – improving the value in a renovation or waiting for the market to increase, or doing both. 'One of them is probably going to work, two of them are going to work better.' Geelong's best growth in five years: houses Suburb Median price 5 year change Rippleside $1,665,000 104.3% Manifold Heights $1,175,000 59.3% Whittington $540,000 40.3% Lovely Banks $805,000 40.0% St Albans Park $600,000 36.2% Bell Post Hill $655,000 35.1% Corio $490,000 34.2% Herne Hill $700,000 30.8% South Geelong $890,000 29.4% Marshall $630,000 28.8% Mr Ainsworth said buyers had become more sensible again, but there were still tricky conversations with vendors who bought at the height of the boom. 'If they bought for $1m, now it might be worth $950,000. The owners might want $1.05m to get their money back. You've got a $100,000 or 10 per cent differential that you can't bring that together – that's too big a price gap.' Hayeswinckle, East Geelong director Tiffany Simpson said returning confidence and interstate investors were improving values in areas like St Albans Park, where bigger properties offer better bang for buck. 'In almost the first six months of 2025 in St Albans Park we are up 10 per cent up on where we were last year – that's due to investors coming back in to the market,' she said. 'A lot of first-time buyers are able to stretch past $600,000, given a couple of interest rate cuts. 'The confidence has definitely returned and they feel more relaxed to able be able to fully use their borrowing potential.' Geelong's best growth in five years: units Suburb Median price 5 year change Newtown $603,000 36.4% Norlane $392,500 32.2% Bell Park $524,000 29.4% Newcomb $480,000 28.0% Corio $385,000 24.2% Whittington $375,000 22.5% Belmont $530,000 22.4% Herne Hill $355,000 22.1% Highton $502,000 21.0% Grovedale $500,000 20.1% McGrath, Geelong agent Jasmin Jurkovic said values in suburbs such as Bell Post Hill had responded as neighbouring areas heated up. 'The demographics are changing – it was a very ageing population with 80-plus year old migrants that came here 55 years ago and the built their dream home,' Ms Jurkovic said. 'The younger generation has gravitated here and appreciated the value they've got for families with land size, affordability for a good, solid brick home and all the conveniences.' Corio is the most-popular suburb in the top 10, where 291 houses sold in 12 months. The median house price has jumped from $365,000 in 2020 to $490,000. 'I became all about the bigger blocks and affordability and people were landbanking and going, 'well, it's an hour to Melbourne, first-time buyers will gravitate here if we build units',' she said. 'There's a lot of construction and building taking place and the yield was good because when you were buying something for $350,000, and the rent was about $300 to $280.'
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
What time does the British and Irish Lions vs Wallabies match kick off? How can I watch it?
The Wallabies must win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday night to keep their Test series against the British and Irish Lions alive. After falling to the Lions 27-19 at Lang Park, the Wallabies will be hoping a historically good record against the visitors in Melbourne will force the series to a decider. Here is what you need to know about the second Test between the Wallabies and the British and Irish Lions. The second Test is on Saturday night at the MCG in Melbourne. Here are the kick-off times for each state and territory, as well as the UK, Ireland, and the other SANZAAR rugby nations: In Australia, broadcaster Channel Nine will show the second Test match on free-to-air. The match will also be streamed online through the Nine Network's 9Now. Nine's streaming platform, Stan Sport, will also be broadcasting the match live. Here are the host broadcasters in other parts of the world: You can follow the action on ABC Sport through the live blog, online commentary, and the ABC Listen app. The British and Irish Lions claimed a 1-0 lead in the series with a 27-19 win last Saturday at Lang Park. The tourists were well on top for most of the match, and threatened to win by a big margin when they led 24-5 early in the second half. But the Wallabies showed plenty of grit and determination in front of 52,229 fans. The hosts clawed their way back into the contest in the second half to reduce the margin to just eight points. Despite the Lions dominating most of the match, both teams scored three tries each, with goal kicking proving the difference in the match. The Wallabies and Lions have played each other twice in Melbourne, and the home side has a perfect record. The Wallabies have won both Test matches they have played against the Lions in the Victorian capital. Both Tests in Melbourne, in 2001 and 2013, were the second matches in the series when the Lions had won the week prior in Brisbane. In 2001, the Wallabies produced a second-half blitz to overrun the Lions and claim a 35-14 win at Docklands Stadium. That 21-point margin is the largest victory the Wallabies have ever achieved over the Lions. In 2013, the Wallabies triumphed at Docklands Stadium in a 16-15 nail-biter. Welshman Leigh Halfpenny had a kick after the siren from beyond 50 metres to win the match for the Lions, but the attempt came up short. The context for the 2025 Test is different to the previous two tours, with the match being played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The British and Irish Lions are an international representative rugby team, with the best players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales being eligible for selection. The first tour, although unsanctioned, was in 1888 with players representing the British Isles playing matches in Australia and New Zealand. The Lions have regularly toured Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. The Lions did not play against the Wallabies between 1966 and 1989, however, they did play against Queensland and New South Wales during their tour of New Zealand in 1971. The 1989 Lions tour of Australia began the current four-year cycle of Lions tours to the southern hemisphere. The Lions rotate between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, meaning they only tour each of these nations once every 12 years. The British and Irish Lions were last on Australian shores in 2013, where they claimed a memorable 2-1 Test series win. The opening two Tests of the series were nail-biters, going down to the final play. The Lions triumphed in Brisbane 23-21, then the Wallabies were victorious in Melbourne, 16-15. In both matches, the losing side had a penalty kick at full-time to win the match, but missed. The third Test threatened to again go down to the wire, with the Lions holding a 19-16 lead early in the second half. But the tourists scored three tries in the final 23 minutes to earn a commanding 41-16 win, and claim the series. Since their first official Test match in 1899, Australia and the British and Irish Lions have faced each other in 23 Test matches. The Wallabies have managed to defeat the Lions six times. Australia was victorious in the maiden encounter in 1899, a 13-3 win at the Sydney Cricket Ground. That was also Australia's first Test match win in rugby. The Lions would go on to win the next three Tests in 1899, claiming a 3-1 series win. Australia would have to wait until 1930 before their second Test win against the Lions, a 6-5 triumph at the Sydney Cricket Ground. That was the only Test match against Australia played on the 1930 Lions' tour, meaning Australia had achieved their first of two series wins. The modern 12-year cycle of Lions tours began in 1989, and the Wallabies achieved their first Test win over the Lions in 49 years. World champions at the time, the Wallabies defeated the Lions in the first Test 30-12 at the Sydney Football Stadium. The Lions recovered to win the following two Tests and win the series. Australia's only multi-match series win came in 2001. After losing the first Test at the Gabba, the Wallabies recovered to defeat the Lions at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, 35-14. The 21-point margin is Australia's largest win over the Lions. The Wallabies won the series with a famous 29-23 victory at Stadium Australia in front of 84,188 fans. Australia's last win over the Lions was during the second Test in 2013.
